Times Past
by gally1
Summary: The past has a funny way of catching up with people, especially Logan. Logan is aware of some of his past. Set 3 years after movie. Introduction of Psylocke and Gambit characters. Another chapter up! Please read and review.
1. A pleasant surprise

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!! Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men Please read/review  
  
Chapter 1 - A pleasant surprise  
  
Looking out from his office window, Professor Charles Xavier took time out from his busy schedule to see what was going on outside. As it was dinnertime at the school most of the students and faculty were out enjoying the early summer sun. 'After all, it was June and why shouldn't people be enjoying the fine weather' he thought to himself. He always found it enjoyable watching what other people got up to. Losing the use of his legs may have meant that he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair but that didn't mean he would give up on life, especially that of his collective brood. If he'd been a lover he would have been the hopeless romantic. This way meant he was the hopeless people watcher, a pastime he very much enjoyed.  
  
As always, Scott and Jeannie were inseparable, and today they had found a space right by the trees that ran the length of the west side of the property. They only had eyes for each other. Then there was Logan with Rogue, inevitably, sitting on the bench across from the pond. Logan had become much the surrogate father that Rogue needed. Ever since Logan had plunged his claws into Rogue's body the first night they had both been at the school, Logan had made sure that Rogue had felt a part of his life. Charles only hoped that a stronger relationship wouldn't develop between them. There were things that Logan still didn't have any idea of in his former life, before he had been experimented on; and the past had a nasty way of catching up with people especially when that past needed something.  
  
Moving his head slowly around Charles spotted Jubilee & Kitty, talking incessantly about boys, no doubt, and . well probably just boys. And further round Storm was explaining something to Bobby and John.  
  
Charles pulled himself from his reverie and made his way back to his desk. This was the time he used everyday to open any personal letters and cards that arrived for him occasionally. He felt that dealing with such things after dinner was better for him than first thing in the morning when the mail arrived. He had much more time and patience at this hour of the day to reflect on issues concerning his family and friends. And today would be no exception. He had only one letter today, and he knew he would enjoy reading this one very much. When it had arrived on his desk this morning he had instantly recognised the rounded handwriting of his favourite niece, well only niece, but he did love her very much, like a daughter. She out of every other member of his family had been the only one to support him when he had wanted to start up the school after taking Jean into his care. She was the only one that understood, the only one that cared, the only one that loved him for what he was, because in return he was the only one that loved and accepted her for what she was.  
  
Of course, he had found love in many different guises and most of these relationships ended when his partner at the time had found out about his telepathic ability. But she, Elisabeth, had remained. Although now she was Beth, a much older and wiser Beth. She was alone but worldly wise, falling in love with a man that was much older than herself when she was twenty only to have him leave her six months later, with no explanation or any recognition as to why he had left and where he had gone. They had been married and Beth had carried their child, giving it up for adoption once it had entered the world. Charles had always expected Beth to tell him all the details in time but she never had, and these same details had been hidden away very deeply in her subconscious. Away so deep that Charles could not find them without her help and away so deep that she would never recall them, unless it were absolutely necessary.  
  
He picked the envelope up with his left hand and opened it with the gold plated letter opener he held in his right. He put his hand in through the incision and fingering the fine bond paper inside pulled out the pages of this much-anticipated letter. Unfolding the paper in his hands he settled himself back in his chair and began to read.  
  
Dear Uncle Charles, I hope this letter finds you well and that you are in a jovial mood. Before you probe my mind to find out what is wrong with me for not taking so long to write to you on this occasion I will answer for you. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. It is just I find writing to you helps me to sort myself out when I feel like I have landed into a hole I can not get out of. Please do not ask me anything on this subject, I will only reply by saying that the institute I was working for in London has closed down due to a lack of funding. Understandably, I am not too happy with this news and finding work should not be too much of a problem but I am now at the age where I feel I must slow down a bit and maybe settle myself somewhere. 'Wherever I lay my hat' does not seem to suffice anymore. There is a point to this, to which I am now arriving at. I recall a conversation we had many years ago when you were trying to enlist my help in helping out with your students . maybe even becoming a member of the faculty. Well I now feel I am ready for such an ordeal. And maybe in time I could see myself trying to find my daughter. She must be nearly the age I was when I gave her up, I forget dates but I remember her birth clearly. We all have to make choices we don't like and I feel sure I may have disappointed you on more than one occasion with some of the things I decided upon, but please know this. Through thick and thin you have always stood by me and I now feel that it is my turn to give a little back, even by being enlisted into the X-men if you see fit. Let me know what you think and I can then make the necessary arrangements to move myself across that huge pond that separates us. With all my love, Beth xxx.  
  
A smile tinged the sides of Charles' lips. His Beth wanted to come home, well to where she obviously felt happiest. 'Writing a letter back to her would take too long' he mused, 'I'll give her my reply now.'  
  
'Beth, my darling, I trust I am not disturbing you too greatly,' Charles conversed.  
  
'Not at all,' came the reply, 'I was just settling down to a spicy chicken salad and a re-run of Friends.'  
  
Charles decided to play her along a bit before getting to the matter in hand. 'Oh, which episode?' he asked her.  
  
'Uncle Charles, do you really want to know or are you playing for time. I guess the reason for your 'call' was in answer to my letter?'  
  
'Yes, it was, my dear. I would love to have you here, you know that, and you have never disappointed me with any decision you have come to. You didn't even have to ask, you could have just turned up you know, there is always a place for you here. I am just so happy that you have decided to 'lay your hat' here, with me.'  
  
'Thank you. I'll make the necessary arrangements. Needless to say I will be travelling very lightly so one of your smaller rooms will be adequate.'  
  
'I wouldn't hear of it. You will have your usual room and nothing else. It will mean moving a few people around but we can sort that out without much upheaval.'  
  
'Please Charles; don't move anybody on my account. I would be happy sleeping on one of those damn slab things Jean keeps down in her lab, as long as I can get a bit of shut eye.'  
  
'I think you and Logan both.'  
  
'Sorry?'  
  
'Logan is the fellow that is using your room at present, I think he and you are very much alike, neither of you seem to accept creature comforts readily.'  
  
'Well when you have needed to 'jam' as many times as I have then .'  
  
'I believe he spent close to 18 years 'jamming'. I'm sure he won't mind moving.'  
  
'Well . If you're sure.'  
  
'I'm sure. Okay. So are you going to tell me which episode it is?'  
  
'It's the one where they're all in Las Vegas, and Monica and Chandler are at the Craps table. I'll speak to you soon regarding the travel arrangements. Goodnight Uncle Charles.'  
  
'Goodbye, my child. I'll await to hear from you.'  
  
No sooner had he dropped his link with Beth, than he became aware of a presence on the other side of his office door.  
  
"Come in Logan."  
  
The door was pushed open wide by the burly man that had been on the other side of it. "God, I hate it when you do that."  
  
"Do what?" the professor asked innocently.  
  
"When you know I'm on the other side of the door and about to knock, wouldn't you like to be surprised one of these days?" Logan countered.  
  
"I've had enough surprises for one day, besides you never knock!" Logan grunted. Charles smiled. Motioning for Logan to take the chair facing him he picked up the letter from his niece. "My niece, Beth, will be shortly joining us from England. The Institute she was working for had to close down and I have asked her to join the faculty as well as becoming a member of the X-men."  
  
"And this has what to do with me?" Logan questioned, arching his right eyebrow.  
  
"At the moment you are using her room. She has asked me not to make a fuss and says she will gladly use another room, but I feel it is only fair that she move back into familiar surroundings. Like yourself, she favours change considerably but as in her own words ''Wherever I lay my hat' does not seem to suffice anymore.'"  
  
"So you want me to move into new digs?"  
  
"As long as you don't mind, that is!"  
  
"No that's fine. Where you gonna put me?"  
  
"You always seem happier out by the orchard, so I thought maybe you could move on up to the end of the corridor on the same landing. Does that sound okay?"  
  
"Yep. Fine. Do I get to decide how to furnish it?"  
  
"I'll make sure there is some money available for your furnishings. So, Logan, why did you wish to speak to me?"  
  
"I believe I have a lead on my past."  
  
"Good, have you eaten yet?" Charles asked. Logan shook his head in recognition that he had missed dinner after talking to Rogue for so long outside. "Well let's discuss this over a spicy chicken salad." 


	2. Moving day

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!! Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men Please read/review  
  
Chapter 2 - Moving day  
  
Two weeks had passed since Charles had told everyone at the school that his niece was to return to Westchester. She had sent word that she would be arriving on the Friday and that a ride back to the school was unnecessary when her flight arrived. She had planned to spend some time in the city before making the final leg of her journey. And, as usual, Charles would not hear of it. By using Cerebro he was able to ascertain where exactly she was at 10.00am that day, he found out which flight she was due to arrive on and made arrangements for Jean and Ororo to meet her. 'They could all go to the city together' he thought, it would be good for Beth to become better acquainted with a couple of members of the team before she was bombarded with the reality that was the rest of the faculty and students.  
  
Logan had been moving home gradually over the course of a week. And to Marie's delight she had been witness to all of the events. He had packed things up, painted the new room, and even taken her to help him pick out a new bed saying that he needed her there to give him a 'woman's opinion on the subject'. Marie could honestly say that she had found the whole 'ordeal' very amusing and on more than one occasion her raucous chuckles of laughter had been stopped short by a glare or snarl from Logan's direction.  
  
Logan had not minded that he had been asked to move, he didn't even care that much that Marie had found some of his antics amusing and he know loved the fact he was so close to the orchard. He knew that the relaxing scent of blossom in the spring or ripening fruit over the summer that his heightened awareness of smell would realize, would be just the thing he needed to help him drift off into peaceful sleep.  
  
There was one thing that bothered him though. Well in truth, two things. The first thing that bothered him was his ever-increasing feelings towards Marie. He had always considered her to be more of a daughter to him than anything else but now he wasn't sure. Maybe it was because they spent so much time together, maybe it was because they had a deep respect for one another, or maybe it was just because they were meant to be together, like soul mates. He had always found it strange how they had managed to cross each other's path all those years ago, how they had connected. What did it matter anyway; she would always look up to him as an older brother or father, never as a lover.  
  
Then there was the second thing. Ever since Chuck had told Logan of the impending arrival of his niece, Beth, Logan had had this feeling that things were never going to be the same again. He couldn't quite put his finger on it but something wasn't right. Not to the point that it would endanger him, Marie or any member of the X-men, but more importantly to do with himself and his past.  
  
Lying on the new bed that had only arrived that afternoon, Logan couldn't get comfortable. His head was whirring and his body felt constricted. Sitting up he reached for the button to his jeans in order to get the access he needed to pull his t-shirt off. Once that task was completed he laid back, knotted his hands behind his head, closed his eyes and began to mull over the latest information he had received regarding his past. Logan knew that Chuck expected all of the X-men to meet his niece this afternoon but once that was over with he could . well he could go on a trip north to investigate. It would be hard leaving Marie again after only being back a matter of months but it would give him the space he felt he needed away from this Beth person.  
  
He may have been there for five minutes or an hour he wasn't sure but the sudden tap of knuckles on his door brought him back to reality. "Yeah?" he growled.  
  
"Logan? It's Marie, did ah wake you up or something." The familiar southern twang of her voice made him smile. Getting up off the bed he stepped over to the door and opened it.  
  
All Marie could do was drink in the wonderful sight of the roguishly handsome and incredibly sexy man that was now leant against the door, arms folded across the well-worn trunk, down to the undone button of the dark blue jeans and finally his un-stockinged feet. "Yes, you did." He eventually said, the turned up corners of his mouth suggesting that in no way did he mind it being she that had woken him.  
  
She averted her eyes from the top of his chest where it was possible to make out the small amount of dark hair that was present there, and looked directly into the hazel eyes that were inspecting what she was doing. A slight tinge of red blushed her cheeks. "Charles sent me up to get you for this welcoming committee he wants to have for Beth."  
  
"Are you invited?"  
  
"Yep, now ah'm a fully paid-up member ah've got to be there," she said proudly. Then added "What do you think she's like?"  
  
"I don't know, kiddo! I just hope she isn't too much like her uncle, you know what the British can be like, stiff upper lip and all that jazz!" Logan moved his frame away from the door and walked out into the hallway closing it behind him.  
  
"Aren't you even gonna put a shirt on or some shoes?" Marie had to ask, her brown eyes lighting up at the very sight of his whole torso.  
  
"Hell, no. She can accept me as I am or not at all. Besides I am the self- defence coach what kind of impression would I set if I had to cover up?" A twinkle appeared in his eyes as he looked over to Marie and winked. Marie just laughed.  
  
"We better get a move on then," Marie said placing a gloved hand on the arm that he held out for her. "You know how much of a stickler for time, Charles is."  
  
"Well then, m' lady, you must lead on, and quickly," Logan retorted in the best English accent he could speak. 


	3. The arrival Beth's POV

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!! Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men Please read/review  
  
Chapter 3 - The arrival (Beth's POV)  
  
Beth leant her head against the rest of the first class seat she was sitting in. After selling off everything she owned she had decided to indulge on the upgrade, after all she was going to be spending god knows how many hours in the air. She had picked a window seat and was glad of it when her neighbour had started to gabble on and on about his life and what he did for a living, finding the view of the clouds almost relaxing. After the in flight dinner she put on the complimentary pair of earphones she had been given so that she could watch the movie that was about to start. It gave her the solace she needed from the continual blurb coming from her right, and by the time the film had finished he had actually fallen asleep.  
  
Now they were in the last half hour of the flight, and she was glad that she would soon be allowed to escape from the stifling condition of the cabin in which she was situated and the continuous hiss of new air being pumped into the occupied space. Shortly she spied land and then the outline of the airport. They were winding there way down in the queue as other planes landed before them and then it was their turn. Bracing herself in her seat as the back wheels met the tarmac of the runway, she found she was moving forward slightly in her seat as the pilot engaged the brakes. Then the last wheel touched down and they taxied to their gate.  
  
She always hated the inevitable stampede of the passengers as they retrieved their belongings and rushed towards any open doorways that would appear in the sides of the plane. Waiting for the bustle to subside she pulled her hand baggage from the overhead locker, arranged it over her shoulders and headed for the now free doorway. She made her way down the gangway and out through the gate.  
  
"There she is," a familiar voice said. "I told you she would be virtually the last person off the plane, 'Ro."  
  
"What do you mean virtually, she is the last," another recognisable voice piped up.  
  
Looking over to where the voices had come from, Beth noticed two familiar forms. On the sidelines where Jean and Ororo, waving frantically at her as if she had not seen them at all. Jean was in red, her favourite colour, showing up the red highlights in her hair and Ororo, her face clouded with the unmistakable blond hair, had on some kind of weird robe thing. She made her way across to them and hugged each one in turn.  
  
"Jeannie, how you doing? I see the red still suits you. And 'Ro you look great, but what on earth is this?" Beth exclaimed pulling at the edge of the silk fabric.  
  
"What, don't you like it?"  
  
"I love it but it's a bit over the top for a ride home isn't it."  
  
"Well it's a good job we're not going straight home then, isn't it. What do you say we go and have a good time in the city?"  
  
"Just what I was thinking," Beth replied with a smirk on her face. "I guess Uncle Charles put you both up to this."  
  
"No, not at all." Ororo remarked.  
  
"We wanted to do it," Jeannie said, a smile forming. "Besides it means we can tell you all the gossip that's been going on since you were last here."  
  
"Good, okay, lets start by finding my luggage, then you can tell me all about Logan."  
  
Ororo and Jean looked at one another and shrugged. "Okay," they responded in unison.  
  
***  
  
The three women had had a lovely afternoon in the city and Jean and Ororo had prompted Beth to spend some of her money on a dress for the charity ball Charles was planning for the following weekend. It was to be in honour of her return, after all.  
  
Beth had also treated them all to a very expensive pampering in one of the many beauty salons that had irrupted from nowhere since her last visit four years previously. They had all received manicures and pedicures as well as Beth receiving a well-earned haircut. She looked like a different woman when the final layers of hair had been sprayed into place. And it wasn't until she had left the building that she noticed the colour that the late afternoon sun was picking out. Deep plums and purples resonated from her hair; she loved it, as did Jean and Ororo.  
  
They found their way back to the parked Mercedes, and whilst Ororo drove, Jean and Beth started up in conversation.  
  
"So Jean, when are you and Scott finally going to tie the knot?" Beth began, "I mean, its been what, quite a few years now. The two of you got engaged before I left last time."  
  
"Well, we had a lot on." Jean exclaimed. "And we didn't want to rush into anything."  
  
"Well you certainly haven't done that, have they, Ororo?"  
  
"No, but then there were a few complications."  
  
"Complications. Like?"  
  
"Scott and I went through a bad patch and I thought I was in love with someone else." Jean looked over to Ororo for support. Ororo shrugged her shoulders and continued to concentrate on her driving.  
  
"Was this someone else . Logan . maybe?" Beth asked.  
  
"How did you know that, wait has Charles told you about this?" Jean said angrily, forgetting about Beth's ability to read minds.  
  
"No, absolutely not. Jeannie, don't get so defensive, please. It was just a lucky guess." Beth answered. "So was it?"  
  
Jean suddenly realised her mistake. "That's not fair. You know the answer already, you picked it from my mind."  
  
"Sorry, I guessed you wouldn't say, so I took matters into my own hands."  
  
"Please, don't do that again. You know I'll tell you anything; you only ever have to ask. Besides he's in love with someone else."  
  
"How could he love another, Jeannie, especially with your charm and beauty."  
  
"He does, I'm sure of it. He hasn't ever said anything but he spends too much time with Rogue for there not to be anything between them."  
  
"Jean!" Ororo cut in.  
  
"No, 'Ro. It needs to be said." Jean's attention went back to Beth. "We don't know how old he is, he could be over a hundred or something, he has a metal alloy called adamantium around his bones, makes it impossible to date him. Anyway, when Ororo and Scott rescued him from Sabretooth - remember him - well, he had a young woman with him. Goes by the name of Rogue. She's only twenty."  
  
"Are you suggesting that a man who is without age is carrying on in some kind of perverted way after some young woman. Wow. What does Uncle Charles think about that?"  
  
"He never wishes to discuss it, especially with either of them. I'm only worried that one or both of them are going to get hurt - in more ways than one."  
  
"Care to enlighten me?"  
  
"Rogue has a poison skin, so to speak. She has the ability to suck life from normal people and if she touches a mutant, she takes on their ability for a while."  
  
"And Logan?"  
  
"He can heal himself and he has these claws that ."  
  
"Protrude from his hands when he is being threatened?"  
  
"Beth, you haven't read my mind again have you?"  
  
"No, Jean, just another lucky guess."  
  
"Do you know him, or something?" Ororo said.  
  
"Did, 'Ro. A long time ago." Beth looked away from the other two women and sat back in her seat. Glassy eyed, she watched the passing scenery as it leapt by her, staying silent for the rest of their journey back to the mansion.  
  
***  
  
Still sitting in the parked car in the driveway of the mansion, Beth realised she was almost too afraid to get out. People were hovering about everywhere. Scott, along with two young men, were getting her luggage from the boot and placing it inside the main doorway. Jean and Ororo were already talking to the other assembled persons on the steps outside the front door.  
  
'Come on girl, get a grip,' Beth scolded herself. She had spotted him before the car had even stopped. And he looked fabulous; she remembered the strong toned body as if the last time she had seen it had been yesterday. What was he trying to do to her and within the first five minutes of her arrival? 'No t-shirt and . my god no shoes, trust Logan,' she thought. It was now or never, she looked over to her uncle noticing the anxious look darkening his face. She composed herself and made a move to get out of the car.  
  
'I wasn't quite sure if you we're going to stay in the car all night.' A friendly voice broke through her boundary and into her mind.  
  
'Uncle, I thought I told you I would make my own way here.'  
  
'I couldn't have you walking the streets of New York on your own, now could I.' As she looked at him he began to smile.  
  
"No you couldn't, I suppose," Beth ran the last few steps to him and leant down to give him the biggest hug he ever thought he was going to receive. "How are you, uncle? I've missed you."  
  
"I'm okay. I missed you too. And you, are you okay?" he asked, a worried expression changing the mood in his eyes.  
  
"I'm fine, actually I'm better than fine." She responded. Charles nodded but didn't believe her; she was keeping something from him.  
  
"Well, I thought it best if you met the team tonight. Obviously you have had time to catch up with Jean and Ororo, and you obviously remember Scott."  
  
Scott had taken his position next to his fiancé; Beth leant over and took his hand. Shaking it readily Scott brought her into a bear hug and the two began to laugh. "I'm so glad to see you, Auntie Beth." Scott added, sarcastically.  
  
Pulling away from him, she gave him one of her familiar wide smiles and shook her head slightly. "You always were the one to give me the run around, I hope you realise that I am now becoming a very old woman, I won't be able to play these games with you any longer."  
  
"Old, right," Scott countered. "You look great for sixty five!"  
  
Mock hurt crossed her face. A snigger resonated from the other side of Charles. All eyes turned to find the culprit.  
  
"I think its now time for you to meet Rogue," Charles exclaimed.  
  
Beth moved from her position by those of the X-men she knew to those that she didn't. Holding her hand out to Rogue she remarked, "So you're Rogue."  
  
There was a look of confusion as Rogue turned her head up towards Logan for support. "Yes, ah am. What of it?"  
  
"Hey, kid, its okay, 'Ro and Jean were telling me about your skin on the way over, that's all. So you wear the gloves to protect others from you, right?"  
  
"Yeah, ah'm a little scared of what ah can do to people, so this kinda protects them if ah accidentally brush past them or something."  
  
"Right. Uncle Charles, the institute had been working on a method of mind control in ordinary humans. After we have talked it through, it may be something we can consider teaching to Rogue so that she never has to feel like she can't touch anyone without hurting them."  
  
"Yes, we'll talk it through, Beth. I remember you telling me about those case studies you were involved in, I believe they were successful?"  
  
"Very." Beth returned her attention to the young woman. "It will take some hard work but the end results could be terrific. What do you think?"  
  
Rogue's face had lit up with the prospect of being able to control her ability. It meant that she would be able to shake hands, hug, and even kiss others without killing anyone. It meant she would be able to become intimate. Maybe even she and Logan . what was she thinking. "That would be great. Are you really sixty five, ah mean you only look about twenty five."  
  
"Thank you, I'll be forty in two weeks. So where are you from Rogue."  
  
"Ah'm from Meridian, Missippippi."  
  
"Is it pleasant there?"  
  
"It was. Although ah can never call it home again. Besides my family is here now."  
  
"Well, I'm sure everyone here feels the same. And who are these remarkable young men?" Beth mocked, looking directly at the two that had helped Scott earlier.  
  
Holding his hand in the air, one of the boys took out a lighter, the vaporous gas igniting when he snapped back the lid and struck the flint. He stuck out his free hand after replacing the lighter into his pocket, "I'm John."  
  
Beth shook his hand, "Neat trick. And you are?"  
  
On taking this boy's hand, Beth felt a tiny shiver travel up her arm. "I'm Bobby."  
  
"And what do you Bobby?" He didn't need to answer, as Beth now had a small swan shaped icicle sitting in the palm of her hand. "So you're our true Iceman?"  
  
"Something like that?" he replied shyly.  
  
Beth now turned her attention to the one remaining person she hadn't been introduced to. How was she supposed to act around this? All that kept going round her head was the pain and misery he had caused her when he had left all those years before. Although she hadn't seen him in twenty years the pain was as strong as it always had been. She thrust her hand out towards him, an action that had not gone unnoticed by anyone, "Logan . right?" What was up with her voice, it sounded so constricted and false, and he had obviously picked up on it with the arched eyebrows he was now presenting before her.  
  
He took her hand and shook it once. "Yeah. Beth . right?" He countered, a smile touching his lips. "Nice to finally meet you. I've never been thrown out of my room by a woman before."  
  
What? What had he just said to her? "This may be the first time, but I'm sure it won't be the last time."  
  
Questioning looks were exchanged everywhere.  
  
"I was only tryin' to be friendly." Logan shrugged, the muscles rippling slightly with the gesture; Beth had to avert her eyes. Logan was now becoming angry "Hey, lady, what have I done to upset you, I mean I don't even know who you are and your givin' me shit."  
  
"I'm giving you shit!" Beth burst out  
  
"Have we met before, do you know me?"  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
"Hey, if I'd met you over the last eighteen years, I would have remembered you."  
  
"I'm sorry, how exactly?"  
  
"Well, there's no way I would forget a figure like that!" he joked. Logan was having fun. Too much fun. Beth on the other hand was not amused. "I'm sorry. Look I don't have a long-term memory, nothin' previous to eighteen years anyway. If I ever did anything bad against you, hurt you in any way, I can only apologise. I don't honestly remember."  
  
Beth was calming down, and all she could think about was the scene that everyone, including her uncle had just witnessed. How was she going to get out of this without much of a fuss from Charles, at least? "Well, it wasn't me you hurt," she started, "It was my friend. Metaphorically speaking, she died when you walked out on her."  
  
Beth had had enough; she had to get to her room. Turning she stepped back to her uncle and sent him a thought. 'I'm sorry, Uncle Charles I need to go lie down for a while. What time will dinner be.'  
  
'6.30pm, as usual. Are you all right my child?'  
  
'Yes, uncle, fine. I'm fine.' And with that she vanished through the doors and up to her room. 


	4. The arrival Logan's POV

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review  
  
Chapter 4 - The arrival (Logan's POV)  
  
"What the hell is she doing, isn't she gonna get out of the car or what?" Logan growled. Rogue touched his arm and smiled up at him. He smiled back; she always knew how to make him feel comfortable.  
  
"Perhaps she's not sure whether your gonna eat her or rape her." Scott said eyeing up the unclothed torso of the Wolverine. They had come to an understanding over the three years Logan had been at the school, and for Scott this normally came under the guise of carer to Rogue when Logan needed to 'run away'.  
  
"Oh, please, Scooter. I don't even know what she looks like yet!" Logan passed back.  
  
"When has that ever stopped you?" Scott remarked, eyebrows furrowed over the usual pair of glasses he wore.  
  
"Gentlemen, please." The professor was nervous enough as it was without Logan and Scott bickering at one another. "How will she be able to take in all of the pleasantries if you two continue to argue with one another. It would be nice if you could just leave each other alone for half an hour."  
  
Logan looked back over to the car just in time to see the highly polished door swing open and a pair of legs extract themselves from the rear of the Mercedes. He found he was holding his breath, and didn't even stop to wonder why when he witnessed the sight that unfolded before him. So this was Beth.  
  
She stood still for what seemed like a minute by the now closed door, obviously dressed for travelling in a pair of black loose fitting pants, a cream cashmere sweater with short sleeves and trainers on her feet. She seemed small, maybe around a foot smaller than he was, no maybe nine inches; anyway a pair of stilettos would sort that out. He was sure she would wear them normally. Her skin was the colour of porcelain, obviously not the kind of person to spend too many days in the sun, and her eyes - bewitching. As she moved closer to the group, he could see they were brown, like dark velvety chocolate. Then he noticed the small plump well- rounded lips that made up one of the most beautiful smiles he thought he had ever witnessed. They were painted a deep red; it suited her complexion admirably, along with the subtle earth tones that she wore around her eyes. And her hair exploded with the colour of plums and damsons dancing in the summer sky.  
  
"Earth to Logan." Rogue whispered in his ear. "Hey, you okay?"  
  
"Fine" he said. He caught Beth's scent on the cool breeze; well in truth he had smelt her even before she had got out of the car. It was familiar though, under the aromas of peach blossom running through her hair and vanilla over her skin, he caught her scent and knew he had smelt it before, but how could he? He didn't even know her. The other thing that struck him was that she seemed to be nervous about something.  
  
Logan watched her make her way over to Chuck saying, "No you couldn't, I suppose." Oh god, she was a telepath and how he hated them. Mind you her beauty more than made up for that, a twinkle now firmly set in his eye. Now that he and Scott had come to an agreement about the amount of flirting that could carry on between himself and Jeannie, i.e. there wasn't to be any, he felt he had found his new prey in the form of the stunning creature that was before him hugging her uncle at the moment.  
  
What was Beth saying now? The striking British accent rang around him like he was being enclosed by it; what was she, some kind of imp that could turn your legs to jelly and your head to mush. He couldn't believe the reaction she was having on him, his heart was beating wildly and he was finding it hard to breathe. He looked down at Rogue again, smiling ruefully; the look on her face told him she had obviously noticed all of his reactions to the newcomer.  
  
"You always were the one to give me the run around, I hope you realise that I am now becoming a very old woman, I won't be able to play these games with you any longer." Logan had heard Beth say to Scott.  
  
Logan leant over to Rogue. "I bet she'll give Jeannie a run for her money, Scott is so taken with her." Rogue had sniggered at the very idea. All eyes turned on her and shyness crept over her skin like a hot rash.  
  
Logan heard Chuck introduce Rogue to Beth. Beth moved over with such grace, that Logan could barely contain himself. He watched inanely as they began to talk about Rogue being able to control her ability and he smiled at that. He knew that would be so good for her, she would be able to experience touching, kissing, loving like any normal woman. Loving, now there was a thought, perhaps there was even the slightest chance that Rogue would want him to love her. He could only hope, and to hell with anyone that wouldn't accept him or her. Mind you, he had no idea if Rogue even wanted that to happen in their relationship. He sometimes thought he had recognised Rogue's mutual feelings for him in her eyes, but then why would a beautiful, twenty year old, young woman want to be stuck with an old hack like him?  
  
Beth had no sooner finished her rounds, than now she was standing before him. The intensity of her glare made him falter slightly and he moved his feet to keep himself from falling over. A perfectly manicured hand bolted out from god only knew where, and her normal voice was replaced by something constricted and un-pretty. Hurt and anger tripped through her words, "Logan . right?"  
  
Confused, Logan arched his eyebrows as if he didn't quite realise what Beth had just said to him. She was acting like he had really hurt her in a shared past, but he didn't know who she was. And on that note, who the hell did she think she was? He felt the smooth skin of her hand as he took it and shook it once. "Yeah" he said, and thought 'I think I should play along with her game for a while.' "Beth . right?" he mimicked, a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. "Nice to finally meet you, I've never been thrown out of my room by a woman before." 'Not that that was strictly true, but hey that would be a story for another time' his conscience added.  
  
"This may be the first time, but I'm sure it won't be the last time."  
  
Wait! Hold the phone! How was Logan supposed to react to that? "I was only tryin' to be friendly." He shrugged his shoulders, watching her reaction, smelling her reaction to him. She was attracted to him? How could that be when she so obviously hated him? The knowledge of both Beth's reaction and hatred towards him only served to make him irate. "Hey, lady," he began thinking perhaps that had been a little strong, especially when he noticed the look of astonishment wash over Chuck's face. "What have I done to upset you," he carried on, giving it his all, "I mean I don't even know who you are and your givin' me shit." By god he was angry.  
  
"I'm giving you shit!" Beth had answered.  
  
Logan was totally perplexed by the woman standing in front of him, "have we met before, do you know me?" he asked her, calming down but still unready for her next statement.  
  
"You don't remember?"  
  
"Hey, if I'd met you over the last eighteen years, I would have remembered you."  
  
"I'm sorry, how exactly?"  
  
He looked her up and down, appreciatively. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Scott sigh and roll his eyes, it was obviously all too familiar to him. "Well, there's no way I would forget a figure like that!" Logan joked. He was flirting with her and in her own way she was enjoying it, but this was obviously making her angrier. "I'm sorry," he couldn't believe he was now apologising to her, after all it wasn't him that had the problem, was it? "Look I don't have a long-term memory, nothin' previous to eighteen years anyway. If I ever did anything bad against you, hurt you in any way, I can only apologise. I don't honestly remember."  
  
Logan sensed Beth was nervous. "Well, it wasn't me you hurt, it was my friend. Metaphorically speaking, she died when you walked out on her." And now she was lying. On top of everything else she had lied to him. Obviously 'Ro and Jeannie hadn't told Beth of Logan's ability of an enhanced sense of smell. But before Logan had had the chance to question her further she was gone, vanished from sight and obviously on her way up to his room. To her room, he corrected.  
  
'Logan, I think we should talk, please come by my office as soon as possible,' Chuck broke through Logan's reverie as the professor and everyone else, with the exception of Rogue, made their way back into the school.  
  
Logan sat down on the steps that led up to the porch and put his head in his hands. Rogue watched him as he moved his hands to his neck and started to rub the top of his spine with his thumbs.  
  
"Logan?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
"You got me kid."  
  
Rogue moved over to where he was sat, positioned herself on the steps behind him and took over the massage he had been giving himself. "Don't you remember her?"  
  
"No."  
  
"She sure as hell remembers you!"  
  
"No shit!"  
  
"Ah'm sorry, Logan, this is the first time ah feel completely helpless. If you ever wanna talk though!"  
  
"Yeah, I know, Marie. You're always there for me. You're the only one that ever has been."  
  
"Ah wouldn't say that. It's not like you really know what happened all those years ago. For all we know you were married and had a family."  
  
"Do you think that's possible?"  
  
"When you can get behind the façade you put up, you have a really good heart, Logan. Ah think it is possible that ah'm not the only one that has ever seen that side of you."  
  
Logan got up from his seat, turned around a pulled Rogue to her feet. Putting his arms around her he drew her into a hug. He closed his eyes and whispered into her hair, "Thanks."  
  
"Okay."  
  
'Logan?' Goddamn telepaths. "I've gotta go speak with Chuck, Rogue I'll catch up with you later, okay?"  
  
"Yeah, no probs. Ah'll see you later, Logan."  
  
Logan was the final person that evening to vanish through the front doorway. Upon closing the door he headed down the corridor to Chuck's office and walked straight in, after all he didn't really believe in knocking.  
  
"Ah, Logan, at last. I think we need to have a talk about what just happened outside."  
  
***  
  
A/N I hope everyone is enjoying this little fic. There are going to be a few turns of events before it is finished so I hope I can keep you all interested. And it will have a happy ending, promise, just might not be the one everyone is expecting. All reviews gratefully accepted, thanks to everyone that has already, thanks for encouraging me to get this far. 


	5. Will the stories of the past ever be tol...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 5 - Will the stories of the past ever be told?  
  
The professor was in his wheelchair by the large picture window when Logan walked into his office. "Ah, Logan, at last." Charles said, motioning for Logan to take a seat. "I think we need to have a talk about what just happened outside."  
  
Logan sat down at the far end of the love seat, stretching his legs out before him and kneading his hands together - a familiar trait of his - it meant he was confused and nervous. It wasn't that he was nervous about confronting Chuck, hell no, he had confronted him on many occasions before, only thing was this was the first time it would involve a member of Chuck's family and additionally Logan's past. "So, Chuck, any idea what that outburst from Beth was all about."  
  
"I haven't the faintest idea, Logan, I was just about to ask you the same question."  
  
"Beats the hell outta me. She seems to know something of my past, before the experiments and everything."  
  
"Yes, she obviously does. If you're looking to me for answers though I am sorry but I cannot help. She is a very stubborn woman and on more than one occasion she has told me to keep out of her business. And to lie to you as well."  
  
Now that had Logan's attention. Lie. Did this mean that Chuck had picked up on it too?  
  
"Logan, you may be able to smell it on people but I can feel it. Something has been amiss with my niece for many years now. There are some things she has told me, but there are other things so dark and dismal that she insists on keeping them to herself. Perhaps she sees it as penance, I don't know. I've even tried to read her thoughts but ."  
  
"But . ?"  
  
"As I am sure you are aware by now, Beth is a telepath, a very powerful telepath. She can do things with her mind that no-one can even imagine unless they saw her do them."  
  
"And?"  
  
"And . well, everyone has the ability to lock parts of their mind away. Sometimes this happens for a reason, such as amnesia, like yourself. Like I said, everyone has this ability, only some of us, telepaths, can extend that ability to put up a wall around those memories that they don't want other people to see. If Jeannie did something like that I would still be able to see some of those things that she chooses to lock away, especially with the use of Cerebro. Unfortunately, Beth has a stronger ability and although I have tried, I cannot get past that boundary."  
  
"So why did she lie?"  
  
"About her friend?" "Yeah!"  
  
"My only guess is that she is protecting someone or something."  
  
"Maybe someone like herself!" Logan exclaimed angrily. "Doesn't exactly help me, does it?"  
  
"Perhaps, Logan. I have found with Beth that if you give her time and space she will come round. I have given her twenty years to come and join us here. And now she is here, I'm sure it will be worth the wait."  
  
"I don't think I can wait that long," a sarcastic tone enveloping Logan's voice.  
  
"If I know Beth, she won't take long to tell you everything. She only makes me wait extraordinary long to get the things I want!"  
  
"I was thinking of going up north again, check up on those leads I had."  
  
"It is up to you, but I think it may be better to stay here for a while, get to know Beth, gain her confidence. She's more likely to come around that way."  
  
"Okay, I'll give it a shot."  
  
"Let me speak to her first though."  
  
"No probs, let me know how you get on?"  
  
"Of course, Logan. As soon as I feel she is ready to befriend you, I will let you know."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"What for? I haven't done anything yet."  
  
"No, but along with Rogue, you are the only two people to care enough about me to try to help me figure out what the hell went on in my life before I could use my body to sharpen knives." Logan chuckled.  
  
Charles smiled. "I'll do my best for you."  
  
"I know," said Logan as he got up from where he was sitting and retraced his earlier steps. "You've never done anything less."  
  
***  
  
Beth had spent the last half hour standing in her shower with images she would rather have not remembered flashing through her mind as the water cascaded over her head and down her body. Why was it that after 20 years she still could only find one man attractive to her, why was it he that she only saw in her dreams, why did she imagine him with her in their home, in their shower, in their bed. But the man she had met today had not been her Logan, he was someone different, someone alien to her and she was damn sure he wasn't remembering anything about the two of them. And what about Charles, he must have known she had lied to Logan, what on earth did he think about it all, think about her. She got out of the shower, couldn't have stayed in there much longer anyway. The suds from her hair and skin had long been washed away and her skin was turning into something that resembled a prune. Pulling the towel from its pole behind the door she wrapped it around herself. She then found the smaller hand towel to put her long hair up into a turban arrangement before she had the chance to dry it properly.  
  
Once back in the bedroom she changed into a silky half-slip and delighted in the touch of the fabric against her skin. It never ceased to amaze her, how sexy she felt when she wore something like this. Taking in her reflection in the full-length mirror, she noticed exactly how good she looked and the colour suited her rather well, it was a deep shade of lilac and it heightened the highlights in her now dry hair.  
  
Looking at her radio alarm she realised she had missed dinner by an hour and a half, and she was surprised that Charles had not 'called' to let her know. Mind you she didn't feel hungry anyway. She lay back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, what was she doing?  
  
"This is doing me know good what so ever," Beth said lightly. "I know what I'll do."  
  
Finding her small carry on bag, she emptied the contents of it onto the table that sat in the bay window. Picking up the dog-eared, well-loved book she returned to her position on the bed and began to read from where she had previously left off.  
  
'. and rose have long been yielding their evening sacrifice of incense: this new scent is neither of shrub nor flower; it is - I know it well - it is Mr Rochester's cigar.'  
  
Could she smell tobacco? No, it must be her imagination. She went back to her book.  
  
'"My bride is here" he said, again drawing me to him, "because my equal is here, and my likeness. Jane, will you marry me?"  
  
The vision of Logan suddenly appeared in her head and he was saying something to her. 'Beth, will you make the happiest man on god's earth. Marry me?' Where in god's name had that come from. Was it because she was so close to him but yet so far? No, surely not, but this book had to go, it was conveying too many memories.  
  
Closing the book she threw it across the room, narrowly missing the person in her doorway.  
  
The figure stooped to pick up the book and read the cover. "I would ask what either Jane Eyre or Charlotte Bronte have ever done to you, but considering they are both dead ."  
  
"Uncle, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were there. I was miles away."  
  
"I can see that. I got cook to make you some sandwiches. And before you say no, is there anything I can do to help."  
  
Getting off the bed Beth stepped to Charles and took the plate from his outstretched arm. "Thank you and, no."  
  
"That wasn't the answer I was expecting."  
  
"Well, it's the only one you're getting."  
  
"What has Logan done?"  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
"He must have done something. I can't imagine it being that terrible considering what he has been like here over the last three years."  
  
"They say time is a great healer, I only wish it were as far as he was concerned."  
  
"A problem shared ."  
  
"Enough with the clichés, already! I need a little time to decide what to do, what to say."  
  
"To lie again?"  
  
"I knew you would catch me."  
  
"I wasn't the only one."  
  
"Logan?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Shit! Look I'll sort it out, in my own good time. Until then I'll be as kind and honourable to Logan as I can be. We are to be working together after all."  
  
"That would be good." Charles answered as he turned to move out into the hallway, then added, "just remember, he doesn't know what his past is, and you obviously do. I don't think you would want to be kept in the dark for too long, if the boot were on the other foot. Logan has some patience but once that has run out ."  
  
"I know, I'll bear that in mind."  
  
"Good night, Beth."  
  
"Good night, uncle, love you."  
  
"Love you too." And with that he was gone.  
  
Beth moved over to the window and noticed a figure outside. She smelt the familiar scent of a particular brand of cigar, and there was only one person she knew that smoked them. Logan. Sitting on the bench under her window, she could make out his form, hunched over as if in deep thought. He was fully dressed now choosing to team the jeans he had only been wearing earlier on with a black t-shirt and boots, his favourite ensemble, and she knew he had always done it to turn her on. Only now he wouldn't know. 'There's only on thing for it,' she deliberated, "I have to tell him, tell him everything, and soon. It's not fair to keep these secrets away from him. He has every right to know the truth. Only thing is, when do I tell him?' 


	6. Saved by the provberbial Ororo?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 6 - Saved by the proverbial . Ororo?  
  
Beth awoke to the sun streaming through her window. She never drew the curtains, didn't really believe in them, unless the need ever arose. Not that it had, of course. She had been off men for a while, twenty years in fact. She turned over to spy the clock on her nightstand. 'No, that can't be right,' she thought, sitting up abruptly, picking the clock up from where it had sat and shaking it. 'It must have stopped,' but to her annoyance when she placed the clock to her ear it was still ticking, a sure sign that things that day were going to get a lot worse.  
  
She showered quickly, applied make-up even more quickly, pulled her hair into a loose ponytail and dressed in anything that she could find that was clean, comfortable and looked like she hadn't slept in. And considering it was now after 10.30 she thought she'd better seek out the kitchen in order to get some breakfast inside her.  
  
Making her way down the back stairs she crossed the hallway and found herself in the comfort of the parlour and beyond that, the kitchen. Things were going on in that direction and she was in two minds whether or not to feel cook's wrath when someone touched her on her shoulder. The shockwave nearly sent her flying through the kitchen door but she regained her composure swiftly and turned to face the person who had given her a fright. To her surprise it was Logan.  
  
"What the hell did you think you were doing, scaring me like that?" She exclaimed, checking him out as he stood before her. She realised too slowly what she was doing but stopped abruptly.  
  
"Sorry, I . it doesn't matter. Looks like you overslept!" An amused expression crossing his face as he, in turn, checked her out.  
  
"Yeah, I was wondering whether to go in there and have cook tell me off for missing breakfast."  
  
"Well, that would make two of us, maybe if one of us distracts her the other could . ?"  
  
"How hungry are you?"  
  
"Very, I missed dinner last night as well."  
  
"Okay, meet me by the orchard in say . 10 minutes!"  
  
"Why do I have to distract cook?" Logan asked, a twinkle appearing in his eye and a smile touching the edge of his lips.  
  
Beth met his gaze and bit her bottom lip. "Because it was your idea and I know all the back routes around this place, I used to use them when I was a kid to hide from Charles."  
  
"Okay, in 10."  
  
As Beth nipped back out the way she had come, she could hear Logan ask cook what she was planning to cook for lunch, and if he could have a mega portion because of missing two meals. Cook obviously liked him, as she found it impossible to say no. Standing by the stairs, Beth found the switch she was looking for and a secret door opened. Entering the small passageway she made her way through to the pantry and found an old basket, one she remembered cook using for herb picking when Beth was a child. Putting this on the side she proceeded to fill it with bread, ham, cheese, apples, some cookies and a couple of bottles of soda. She retraced her steps through the passageway and out again into the stairwell. Moving around to the back door, she hurried through and out onto the lawn. Turning left she continued her journey towards the orchard, spotting Logan leaning up against one of the trees on the far side.  
  
Reaching him she smiled and showed him the basket of contraband, to which he seemed to be pleased. They walked up a little further so that they were out of sight and sat down under the branches of one of the many sycamore trees in that part of the grounds.  
  
"So why did you miss dinner?" Beth asked.  
  
"I don't think you need to know about that."  
  
"Come on Logan, I promised Charles that you and I would become friends and I never break my promises."  
  
"Are you saying I do?"  
  
"No! No, I'm just saying that if we are going to work together then we have to trust one another." She picked up some of the bread and laid some of the ham over it, her sandwich becoming unstable when she tried to fold over the bread. Logan laughed at her which made her smile, "What?" She questioned.  
  
"Here, lets see what we can do with that!" He released a claw from his right hand and chopped through the bread. Placing one piece of bread on top of the other with the ham enclosed, he handed it back to her. "I think you'll be able to manage that now."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"No problem." He turned his attention to his own ham and cheese sandwich.  
  
"Does it frighten you, Logan? I mean those claws, does it ever frighten you that you could kill someone you love with them."  
  
"I nearly did, once. It was the first night Rogue and I were here. I had one of my frequent nightmares and she'd tried to wake me but with her skin an' all she didn't wanna touch me. Anyway I woke up and plunged the full length of my left claws straight through her chest."  
  
"What happened then?" Beth asked, shock pouring over her features.  
  
"She touched me, it wasn't in revenge or anything but I guessed she'd thought that she may be able to gain some of my power if she did. It worked, but I was in bed for a while afterwards. She ran off thinkin' everyone was angry with her and I went after her. That was our fist encounter with Magneto."  
  
"You obviously love her."  
  
"We're kinda like father and daughter."  
  
"You can't lie to a telepath."  
  
"You can't lie to someone who can smell it on you, either!" Logan said, gazing at her under knotted eyebrows.  
  
"Okay. You got me. What do you want to know?"  
  
"Everything. But could you make a start with telling me about what you know about me?" Beth looked puzzled. "You know, like family, friends, how old I am, etc, etc?"  
  
"Okay. Here's what I know about you. When I was introduced to you, you were 62 but I guess because of your regenerative ability you looked about, well about the same age as you look now. Only thing was you didn't have metal claws then, they were good old-fashioned bone. Your birthday is the 20th May 1920. Your Mum and Dad were killed in the battle at Pearl Harbour and you had a sister. I don't know if she is still alive or if she had a mutation herself. You didn't find out about your mutation until you were shot down over France, you were a fighter pilot during the war. Apparently, your crash landing was so bad that your bones should have been broken into thousands of pieces, but you were seen to pull yourself out of the wreckage without even the tiniest scratch. German ground troops found you and you gave them a fight, they shot you and they were surprised when you got up like Lazarus." Logan gave her a questioning look. "Okay, like 'the Highlander', I guess you've seen that film with Christopher Lambert?" He nodded. Beth continued, "So when you got up like 'the Highlander'," he smiled, "they shot you again. About five minutes later you got up again. You frightened the hell out of them and so they left you alone in the middle of the French countryside. The American government gave up looking for you so you were presumed dead, which was alright by you as it gave you a way out of the forces and so you made your way up to Canada. When I met you, you were working the bars, fighting for money." Beth picked up one of the apples and took a bite.  
  
Logan took a swig of his soda and mulled over what she had just said. A minute or two later he asked, "So how did we meet?"  
  
Beth began to feel nervous, she had been enjoying these few moments with Logan and now he wanted to know more. "Well, . ," she began.  
  
A voice sounded out which startled them both, "Logan, Beth, there you both are, we've been looking for you for ages."  
  
"What's up, 'Ro," Logan shot out, getting up from his seat on the grass.  
  
"There's trouble, with Magneto, he's up to something again, and we've all got to suit up and get going."  
  
"Including me?" Beth looked concerned.  
  
"Even you, Beth. We need all hands on deck."  
  
No sooner had all three exchanged glances than they were sprinting over the lawn back towards the house. The new X-men had their first mission. The old X-men had a new challenge. 


	7. Wolverine loses his past again

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 7 - Wolverine loses his past again  
  
Suited and booted, the X-men waited for Cyclops to let them know what their mission was. "Magneto is planning to use a new weapon, now we don't know what it is but we know where it is. I'm sure you, Wolverine, will recognise this place."  
  
"Sure, it's the Canadian Base that I escaped from."  
  
"Right. So if you got out, I'm sure you know a way in."  
  
"Well, yeah, but there ain't much of that place left!"  
  
"We believe Magneto is inside the rock somewhere, the professor told me that you escaped through some tunnels?"  
  
"Yeah? You want me to go back in the way I came out, right?"  
  
"Yes. Storm, Jean, Shadowcat, Iceman and myself will take Blackbird I and land at the front of the complex. Wolverine, you will take Blackbird II, with St John, Jubilee, Rogue and Psylocke," Logan raised an eyebrow at the description of the latest member to join their team, "and land around the back. Hopefully, we'll all meet up around the point where Magneto is situated and we can begin to bring him down."  
  
The X-men split into the two assigned teams and headed for their respective transport. Each took their seat in the 'birds' and waited for the hanger to reach its destination before each took to flight. Rogue and Wolverine sat up front in Blackbird II, flying her towards their destination. "Get this Rogue, I was a fighter pilot in the Second World War!"  
  
"Did ya crash?" a southern lilt hung on Rogue's question.  
  
"Yeah! Well, I was shot down and then preceded to crash. Why?"  
  
"No wonder, the way you fly this thing!" Rogue laughed, and smiles appeared on everyone else's faces, except that of the Wolverine.  
  
"Very funny," he scowled, "At least I know how to land this thing."  
  
"That's a matter of opinion. Ah don't think we encountered anything like that landing you delivered last time."  
  
"I'm not used to these 'modern' controls."  
  
"Ah don't think your used to any controls!"  
  
Jubilee and St John sniggered at their friend's remarks. Wolverine looked back over his shoulder at them and growled. It was one thing to allow Rogue to get away with it, but these two. He noticed Beth was more agitated than she ever had been. "Hey, Psylocke!" he managed, "these suits are a bitch aren't they."  
  
Looking up from her reverie, Beth answered. "Yeah, more like an uncomfortable second skin than a suit."  
  
"Are you okay?" He asked, concerned.  
  
"I'm fine, haven't been into battle for a while, hope I can keep my cool for you all."  
  
"You'll be okay," Rogue said, "soon get back into it."  
  
"I guess," Psylocke said, as she shrugged her shoulders and looked bewildered. "Jubilee, what do you do?"  
  
"I can energize particles, comes in handy when you need an explosion. What about you?"  
  
"What doesn't she do!" Rogue remarked. Wolverine questioned Rogue with his demeanour. "What?" Wolverine turned back to concentrate on flying, Rogue continued. "She uses her telekinetic powers as a weapon, she is a master of the marshal arts and she can transform herself and her compatriots into shadows."  
  
All eyes turned towards Psylocke. She smiled weakly as if to say, well now you know, and returned her gaze to the passing landscape outside of the window.  
  
"Wow," Wolverine remarked, "Handy!"  
  
"Okay, everyone," Rogue said, "brace yourselves, Wolverine's going in for a landing." The 'bird' swooped down towards land and Wolverine hovered it for a little while until he found somewhere to land safely. They disembarked and Wolverine led them into the entrance of the tunnels. Rogue placed her hand on his shoulder. "You okay," she asked.  
  
"Fine, I just feel like I'm facing impending doom. Like beyond today, I'll be back in here being tortured and stuff."  
  
"Ah won't let that happen. You mean too much to me for anyone to consider doing that to you again."  
  
"Thanks." He turned to everyone, "Okay, keep together as much as possible. It won't take long to get to where we're going."  
  
It took them ten minutes to reach the outskirts of the complex. Looking out from behind the large rocks at the end of the tunnels, Wolverine noticed two familiar figures standing guard. Toad and Mystique were seemingly ready for any eventuality and behind them a heavy-set door was shut, obviously the way up to wherever Magneto was.  
  
"Jubilee," Wolverine said to the young Asian woman, "do you think you can hit those rocks above their heads, bring them down over them or something.  
  
"I'll give it a shot," she said. Reaching her left hand forward she found the particles she needed, and using her mind she was able to send them hurtling towards the rock face that stood above the enemy. She set the charge off and the explosion caught the rock just so, sending rubble and shards down over the two mutants.  
  
"Wolverine?" Psylocke said sharply to get his attention. "You and I could move over there undetected and finish them off, what do you say?"  
  
"Great, everyone else stay here until we motion for you to come join us."  
  
Psylocke moved closer to him, stretching out her arms towards him. He flinched. "I have to do this otherwise you won't be going anywhere." She said matter-of-factly. He nodded, he understood, she wouldn't hurt him. She placed her hands over his temple and closed her own eyes. Momentarily, Wolverine felt like his world had gone shaky but realised it must have been the effect Psylocke's ability was having on him. In front of him he could make out a hazy outline, which he decided was she, and trying to find his arm, he saw that his own form was just a hazy outline as well. She moved her head closer to him, he could feel her warm breath on his cheek as she began to whisper, "Keep to the wall, I'll take Mystique, you take Toad." And before he had time to answer she was gone.  
  
Wolverine moved around the walls, watching his step as he went. He could see Toad lying on his back, obviously winded and it looked like he was stuck under some rubble. Toad was going to be an easy target. Suddenly, there was a flash of bright white light, like a laser beam. It cut into Mystique as she tried to fight her way forward. Psylocke faltered, her ability was taking a lot out of her; she couldn't hang on much longer, to herself or Wolverine, so he had to act quickly. Picking up pace, Wolverine made his way over to Toad, unleashed his claws and rammed them through Toad's body. The Toad tried to grab out for Wolverine, using his free arm and his tongue, but Wolverine had the edge whilst he was still virtually invisible. Finally, Toad's body stopped moving and his eyes became un- watching and cold.  
  
Wolverine now turned his attention to the catfight that was taking place behind him. Psylocke definitely had the edge at that moment but her ability was making her weak and she, like himself, was beginning to become visible again. Mystique used this to her advantage and knocked Psylocke off her feet. Psylocke was thrown twenty feet into the air and came down hard on some of the rubble that was around their feet. Wolverine made a run for it; after all he had nothing to lose. Claws out he slashed at Mystique and struck her through her abdomen, pain ran over her face as he looked into her bright yellow eyes. Mimicking a gesture of hers from their first fight, he licked his lips with malice and dropped her to the floor watching the limp body slide off his claws.  
  
Wolverine ran towards Psylocke, who was making the vain effort to get to her feet. "Stop moving," he shouted to her, motioning to the others to join them at the same time.  
  
Reaching her, she tried to instil in him that she was okay, but Wolverine wouldn't have any of it. They had a connection and he was damned if he was going to let her threaten that. He picked her up in his arms and carried her over to the side of the cavern. "What the hell happened?" He asked her.  
  
"These abilities I have are all very well and good, when I don't have to rely on them too heavily. The laser weapon I can manipulate takes up so much of both my physical and mental strength that I cannot use it for too long. I'll be fine in a minute."  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"I wasn't aware you were that concerned?"  
  
"You are the only link I have to my past. Do you honestly think I am going to let you go that easily?"  
  
'You said that once before,' she thought, but said, "So I'm just a tool for you to use to remember things by."  
  
"God, no. That sounds so selfish. I didn't mean ." concern and panic in Wolverine's voice.  
  
Psylocke put a hand on his arm, "It's okay, Wolverine. I would feel the same way if it were round the other way. Come on, let's get on."  
  
"You're not going anywhere," he commanded. "St John, stay with Psylocke, any trouble then get in touch immediately, okay."  
  
"Okay, Wolverine," St John said, making himself comfortable besides the battered Psylocke.  
  
No sooner had Wolverine ordered St John to stay put, he had ordered Jubilee to break through the door, and soon he, along with Rogue and Jubilee, were on their way. Hoping to find Magneto along the path they were taking.  
  
***  
  
Cyclops and his crew had had an easy ride, so far. Problem was it had seemed too easy. They had had a run in with Sabretooth and another mutant known as Gambit, Jean had sensed that Gambit could be useful and could be manipulated, so she and Iceman had returned to Blackbird I with him. Now he, Storm and Shadowcat were stood before a huge metallic door, readings of the new weapon suggesting it could be directly behind the closure. "Shadowcat, be careful as you go through this thing, Magneto may be on the other side, and if he is we need to be ready for him."  
  
"I'll let you know Cyclops, if I'm not out in five minutes, blast the door wide open." She returned and then she was gone, passing through the door as if it were open. She was unaware of what would be there waiting for her. "Wolverine?"  
  
"Hey kid, Cyke and Storm on the other side?"  
  
"Yes, we were sure the readings we had for the weapon were from behind that door." She said pointing to the still closed barrier."  
  
"Us too, when we stood behind that one." Wolverine said, pointing to a door directly opposite, which now had a gaping hole in it. He walked towards the other door and slammed his claws through the control pad situated next to it. His action caused the door to short out and the lock to disengage. Cyclops and Storm entered the room.  
  
"Hey guys, so where's this weapon." Storm said.  
  
"There isn't one," Rogue exclaimed, "nothing that would resemble one anyway."  
  
"Smells like a trap," Wolverine said, "keep your eyes open everyone."  
  
As if spurned by some kind of reaction, St John radioed through, "Help, anyone, help us. We're under attack."  
  
"We're on our way," Cyclops shouted and began the sprint out of the room down to the cavern, closely followed by the other members of the team. Reaching the open space in the rock he made his way over to where St John lay, not sure whether he was alive or dead. "Jeannie, we need you over here, we've got a man down."  
  
"I'm on my way."  
  
Turning him over Cyclops could see that St John was still barely conscious but he needed to ask, "What happened here John."  
  
Wolverine had been searching around the cavern for any other bodies. Toad and Mystique had disappeared, so had Psylocke. He knelt beside St John and added, "More to the point, where the hell is Psylocke?"  
  
"Gone," St John got out painfully, "They took her, Magneto and the others, took her."  
  
Wolverine looked around him, trying to find something or someone to hold onto. Even the usual bond he had with Rogue seemed strained. His connection with the past had gone, and he hadn't got a clue how to get it back. The only thing he knew was that he had to try everything he could to find her. He would never be complete until he had her back. He needed her that was it; all he needed was she. He felt a friendly hand touch his shoulder but when he looked up it wasn't the person he expected. Instead that person was backing off as he noticed she, Rogue, was mirroring his own emotions, tears threatening to drop from both sets of eyes. 


	8. Beth meets Magneto

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 8 - Beth meets Magneto  
  
Beth was brought to her senses sharply as she experienced the most excruciating pain travel through her body. Struggling to sit up, she could just make out that she was in a small cave like room with large circular apertures in two of the walls that faced one another. Large cylindrical vertical bars filled the holes.  
  
Placing her back against the wall for support she brought her hand up to her head as it became apparent that there was some slight uncomfortable stickiness there along with the primary source of her pain. Investigating her hand she saw what appeared to be dried blood. She was then aware that she wasn't on her own.  
  
"Magneto, I might have known that you wouldn't put me up in your best suite," Beth said straightening herself against the rock.  
  
"Well, Psylocke, if you promise to be a good girl I might be able to make your stay here more comfortable."  
  
"And how long is that going to be exactly?"  
  
Magneto knelt down beside her, picked a lock of her hair up with his left hand and smiled, "That depends on two things."  
  
Flinching at his touch, she responded "Which are?"  
  
"Your attitude towards me," he replied, gently stroking the hair between his thumb and forefinger, "which I must say, up until now, has not been favourable. I also expect your help when I am need of your ability."  
  
"What are you going to do with me?" Beth asked boldly, she feared him but there was no way she was going to show him. 'Just be nice' her mind kept saying to itself, like some kind of mantra.  
  
"I am in the process of making a super weapon, so incredible that it will make the political world sit up and listen to me as they make me their undeniable ruler."  
  
"And I assume you will use me as part of that weapon?"  
  
"How could you guess?" he said, dropping her hair and moving over to the middle of the room, his back toward her.  
  
"I heard what you did to Rogue, she was so young and now she has those white streaks in her hair. She will never be able to forget the ordeal you put her through," Beth said, her voice splintering with anger.  
  
He turned around and met her glare. "Ah yes, Rogue. Such a wonderful young creature and so beautiful too. She will never forget me."  
  
"And me, will I ever forget? And what if I don't comply."  
  
"You won't be able to remember, my dear. Whatever happens Psylocke will be no more, she will not exist . and nor will Beth." Magneto looked directly into her eyes, sensing that she didn't quite understand what he was trying to tell her. "My dear you will comply because you will do this as a duty to your family, and in complying you will die."  
  
"Uncle Charles will never allow you to ."  
  
"Who said anything about uncle Charles. I'm talking about your daughter . and Wolverine."  
  
"Wolverine is nothing to me."  
  
"No?"  
  
"No, I owe him nothing, he doesn't even remember who I am, and as for my daughter!"  
  
"Yes, your daughter. You may be surprised when you learn who she is."  
  
"How could you know?"  
  
"I have my sources . Beth. Elisabeth Logan nee Braddock. Do you know how long it took me to find out all about your little life?"  
  
"Don't play games with me Eric, you've known about me since I was a youngster."  
  
"Mmm. But you hid your records well. Those that you knew about anyway, like your marriage certificate and the birth certificate of your baby. Too bad I have enough influence to get the other information I needed. Let me see, you called your baby Chloe but never had her christened which made it easier for the adoptive parents to change her name. Am I right?"  
  
Beth could do nothing but stare at him, dumbfounded.  
  
"Am I right?" He repeated. She nodded her head. "Good. This is now the interesting part, this is the part you don't know. The adoptive parents completed all of the necessary paperwork; they changed her name and moved to a small town in Missippippi. Meridian I believe," a sly grin appeared on his face. "Marie grew up to be a wonderful young woman, with so much vivacity and charm. She was well liked and she was a good student. Unfortunately, no one was aware of what she could do to people. The first boy she kissed, she put him in a coma for two weeks."  
  
"Rogue! Rogue is my daughter?"  
  
"Yes, funny how life turns out isn't it, after all you must have noticed the family resemblance. The long dark hair and the beautiful brown eyes you both have. Remarkable really, how a highly charged telekinetic telepath and a crazy wolf man could conceive a child with a poison skin. Wonders will never cease to amaze me. Unless Wolverine isn't the father that is?"  
  
"Wolverine is the father."  
  
"Calm down my dear, I only wondered how such a man could be so easily tamed."  
  
"He didn't need taming, he loved me then."  
  
"And now?"  
  
"He loves another."  
  
"But you still love him?"  
  
Beth didn't answer she just stared at him.  
  
"Love is a wonderful thing if it is requited. Will you ever tell him that Rogue is his daughter and not his match?"  
  
"Yes, if I get the chance."  
  
"Then the chance I will give you. But first I need to know that you will help me with my weapon."  
  
"I will never help you."  
  
"Well, okay, if you don't then I will have to make sure that Rogue never forgets me, and also see if I can tame the man they call Wolverine. You do know that I can manipulate the adamantium running through his entire body with my magnetic force. And uncle Charles is no match for me what-so- ever."  
  
"Okay, okay," defeat running through her, "I will help, my life on its own is nothing to theirs."  
  
"Good, good. You'll know when I need you." He said, menace playing in his eyes. "Sabretooth, Mystique, have your way with her and leave her for dead somewhere where she can be found." 


	9. Beth is found

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 9 - Beth is found  
  
Charles couldn't believe it. Beth was missing and nothing he tried helped to find her. He was restless, he couldn't think straight, couldn't sleep, and couldn't do anything else either. Moving the wheelchair with ease he went back to the underground chambers in order to use Cerebro again. Jean and Scott stopped him.  
  
"Professor," Jean said.  
  
"Yes, Jean. Scott?" Charles managed curtly.  
  
"Where are you going?" Scott asked  
  
"I'm going to see if I can find Beth again."  
  
"Professor, you can't keep this up. If you carry on the way you're going I am going to have to confine you to quarters. As your doctor I am concerned that you are trying to do too much."  
  
"Jean, I can never do too much in order to find the one remaining member of my family that loves me for who I am." Charles was angry, the insolence of Jean thinking she knew best.  
  
"I just think that you should stop trying so hard. This is the second time this hour that you have wanted to use Cerebro. I know that that machine doesn't hurt you in the way it has hurt me in the past," Jean tried to reason. "But if you keep on then I don't know what it could do to you."  
  
"Jean keep out of this, I will do what I have to do. I am, after all, the only one that is capable of finding her. Now please, both of you move out of my way."  
  
Jean and Scott moved aside so that the professor could make his way into Cerebro. Once the door had closed behind him, Charles placed the headgear over his crown and closed his eyes, readying himself for the brainwave patterns that were about to take saturate his mind yet again. Figures appeared before him and he searched through them all trying to find any familiarities of his beloved niece.  
  
He was just about to finish when he noticed a slumped figure by the side of Lake Michigan, he noticed the torn uniform with the plum tendrils of hair splaying out around her head, matted with blood and dirt. Tears formed in his eyes, she was badly beaten and he needed to get help to her as quickly as possible. He left the room and was greeted by Jean and Scott; they had been waiting for him.  
  
"Are you alright, professor?" Scott asked immediately.  
  
"You've found her, haven't you?" Jean said.  
  
"Yes I have, she's near to South Haven, on the banks of Lake Michigan," the tears now rolling down his face, "she's in a bad way, though. Jean, Scott, will you go and get her, I think you should take Logan too."  
  
"Okay, professor, I'll get the 'bird' ready. Jean you get your med bag and summon Logan."  
  
"Right." Jean said, and added, placing her hand on Charles' slumped shoulder. "Professor, she'll be okay."  
  
Placing his hand over hers, Charles responded. "I hope so, Jean, I hope so."  
  
***  
  
"Rogue, are you going to talk to me?" Logan shouted at the closed door.  
  
"Go away, Logan!"  
  
"No, I won't. What the hell is going on?"  
  
"You tell me?" Rogue screeched. But there was something else too, it sounded like she was crying, smelt like it, smelt like she had been for a while.  
  
"Marie, please. Don't make me break this door down." Silence. Not a sound came from within. "Alright if that's the way you want it, I'm coming in."  
  
"Logan, don't. Ah'm opening the door."  
  
The door was opened slowly and Marie stood on the other side of the doorway, lipstick smudged and mascara streaked down her face. Logan suddenly had the urge to hold her in his arms, he took a pace forward in order to do just that but she moved out of his way. "Take a seat Logan, ah have to tell you something and ah have to see how your gonna react to it."  
  
Logan sat down on the edge of Marie's bed, hands on his thighs and looked at her with eyes overflowing with concern. He watched as she took up a position leaning against her dresser. He took in her form, the pert young body of a twenty year old, the attractive porcelain skin that he could just make out every now and then, as most of her figure was covered in clothing that was nipped-in in all the right places. Not that that was a bad thing either. Her hair hung straight, the light and dark strands swaying gently with the breeze from the open window. And then her face, she had grown into quite the beauty. Thing was she reminded him of someone else. "What is this all about, Marie?"  
  
"It's about you, me and Beth."  
  
"Wow, well that's a lot of people, mind telling me what I've gotta do with all this?"  
  
"Ah . ah think . no, ah know ah'm in love with you." Grief showered over her face as if she had already been rejected.  
  
"What? Great, I mean how? And what the hell has Beth got to do with all this."  
  
"Ah saw the way you looked at her when you picked her up Logan, and then again when she had disappeared. All hopes ah had that you reciprocated my feelings left me when ah saw your face."  
  
Beth? Did he have feelings for her? They had a connection to his past and she was attractive but he loved Marie and . what? Did he want Marie? The idea that she could control her power and he could show her how he felt would be remarkable but he now wasn't so sure, something was stopping him from even becoming remotely intimate with his dependant. He had watched her grow from awkward teenager to a strikingly beautiful young woman, but now every time he looked at her she reminded him of someone else. Someone he had obviously lost a long time ago. But then he remembered his meeting with Beth two days previously, she had that same look about her. Come to think of it, if he could picture the two of them together they looked very much alike, except that Marie had very dark hair and Beth's was a touch lighter with those purple highlights.  
  
A hand touched his shoulder, "Logan? Are you listening to me?"  
  
"Sorry, Marie, I was miles away."  
  
"Ah could see that, do you have anything to say?"  
  
"You and Beth look so much like one another." Logan admitted, half of his mind on the present and half on the past.  
  
"Oh God!" Marie exclaimed. "Ah can't make any sense out of you these days. Ah tell you ah love you and you tell me ah look like Beth. What the hell is going on with you? Ah always thought ah knew you, Logan, but now ah'm not sure. Ah'm not even sure ah ever knew you. All ah know now is that my heart is breakin' in two and you don't know who you are attracted to." Tears were in her eyes as he silently witnessed the anguish that crossed her face. She turned and fled from her room leaving him sitting on her bed watching her retreating figure.  
  
"What am I doing?" Logan suddenly enquired to no-one, making a move to follow wherever Marie had gone to take refuge; but was stopped by the sudden infestation on his mind by Jean.  
  
'Logan, the professor has found Beth. We need your help, please get yourself suited and meet Scott and I in Blackbird I.' Logan didn't need to think twice. He had to regain his link with his past and he would do anything to help out where Beth was concerned. Now what was he thinking? Was he really beginning to think of Beth as anything more than a friend? Surely not. Whatever he was thinking though he had to put to the back of his mind. Beth needed his help that was all; he couldn't let his emotions cloud his judgement.  
  
Logan ran from Marie's room through the corridors and down the stairs to the awaiting lift. He was taken to the depths of the house where he quickly changed into his outfit and made his way to the 'bird'. Jumping in to the cockpit, alongside Scott he belted up and nodded to say 'I'm in'. They were soon off, hurtling at speed to the spot the Professor had given them co-ordinates for.  
  
They jumped out of the plane and each made their way down to the lake, trying to find Beth. Logan spotted her first and shouted to Jean to join him as he ran the last few remaining yards to where she lay bruised and battered. "Beth," he called out. Nothing, not a sound nor movement. "Beth," he repeated, as he bent down over her, but there was still nothing.  
  
By this time both Jean and Scott had joined him, and whilst Scott kept guard Jean and Logan did all they could to help Beth.  
  
"Surprisingly, she is breathing." Jean said, indifferently as was her professional manner, "however, she is unconscious, probably from the pounding she has received."  
  
"Is she gonna be okay?" Logan's voice was thick with concern.  
  
"I don't know? It's too early to tell, Logan. I'm going to have to make a detailed assessment back at the lab. She could be bleeding internally or anything. On the face of it though, we can easily move her, she doesn't appear to have any broken bones or anything."  
  
"Good, then lets get her out of here before we get company." And with that Logan had picked Beth's limp body up in his arms and was striding back towards the 'bird'. He placed her down in the back of the plane and never left her side once on the ride home, brushing her hair from her face and talking to her as if he had known her forever. He even carried her down to the lab and sat with Charles whilst Jean carried out the necessary tests.  
  
Jean walked from the lab into the conference area, and noted the two concerned faces that looked upon her. "It's a shame Logan, that Beth doesn't have any of your healing factor. If she did she would be up and about in no time. At the moment, the best we can hope for is to wait and see. She has internal bleeding in her abdomen and many contusions over her body. Whoever did this to her didn't like her very much. These, along with knocks to her head and a general lack of strength have caused her to go into the coma she is now in. I'm sorry but I can't possibly tell you when she is going to come around or even if she is going to come around."  
  
"Jean, that's just not good enough. We have to find some way to bring her out of this." Charles said, anguish ripping through him.  
  
"I'm sorry, professor, that's the best we can do; unless like I said we can transfer some of Logan's healing power from himself to her."  
  
"Rogue!" Logan said.  
  
Charles looked at Logan, with an odd expression. "What, Logan?"  
  
"Rogue, she took my power when she needed it, if we could then find a way for her to then transfer that power over to Beth then we could be in business."  
  
"We wouldn't know where to start, Logan. Rogue has no way of controlling her ability and even if she did, we know she can take but can she give?" Jean enquired.  
  
"Yes, she can," the professor said, a twinkle set in his eye. "Yes she can!" 


	10. Who will receive Rogue's heart?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 10 - Who will receive Rogue's heart?  
  
Rogue sat down on the bench that was situated under the oak trees and opposite the pond. This was always considered to be 'Logan and Rogue's' seat as it wasn't often that either or both of them would be found anywhere else than on that particular bench. They had had some of their best conversations and heated discussions whilst they had spent hours of each other's company sitting there upon that bench. 'And now it's all over!' Rogue thought, as the words of the Skunk Anansie song she had been listening to the previous evening, floated through her head.  
  
. And now I sit here, I'm all alone, here sits a bloody mess, tears fly home, a circle of angels, deep in war, 'cos I wanted you. Weak as I am, no tears for you, weak as I am, no tears for you, deep as I am, I'm no one's fool, weak as I am. So what am I now, I'm love's last home, I'm all of the soft words I once owned, if I opened my heart there'd be no space for air, 'cos I wanted you .  
  
Two days had passed since the last time Rogue and Logan had spoken, well in all fairness, it had been Rogue that had done all the talking only to be faced with rejection and humiliation from the one person she never thought could hurt her. She thought she had sensed love, thought she had seen it in his eyes but even if love was there who was to say it was for her anyway, it could have been for Beth.  
  
Beth, she was another mystery. Perhaps the only reason Logan thought he loved her was because she held onto the key to his past. 'But then that wouldn't matter, would it?' She thought, 'He could still love me with her knowing that.'  
  
She felt the tears welling up her eyes as she thought again about the man she loved and would never be able to have. Her body lightly convulsing with the upset she was experiencing. She was so tired, she hadn't slept, hadn't eaten, just sat on that damn bench and wept to herself, until it was time to return to the mansion and then she would lie on her bed and silently weep there too. Lost in her thoughts, she hadn't heard the soft crunch of the grass as someone approached her.  
  
"Ehm," a male voice was cleared, "Ah'm sorry, ah hope ah'm not disturbin' you, cher, but you look to moi, like you in need o' some help." The Deep South accent ringing through his voice. Rogue felt like she could trust him.  
  
"No, ah'm okay. Ah'm just not feeling so good, you know?" She replied, still not looking at her companion.  
  
"Mais, okay, if you sure, mon ami. Its just il noticed you sittin' out here on your own for da last two days, lookin' very much like you lost somethin'."  
  
Rogue turned slightly to look at the guy who was standing to her right. She recognised him, from when Jean brought him in after the ambush at the air base. He was handsome in a rugged kind of way, with the mid-length locks of auburn hair falling into his eyes, stubble showing on his chin and the ancient fawn overcoat that Rogue thought would fall to pieces as soon as he removed it. "You could say that!"  
  
"Ah'm sorry if it seems like ah'm pryin' but il know that look you got, beb, ah've had mysel' recently. And ah did a bit of askin' aroun' 'bout you. Seems you lost a someone, rather than a somethin'."  
  
"Your nosey aren't you?" Rogue asked, turning up the corner of her mouth to show she was being sarcastic. "So, if you've been through this, how about tryin' to tell me what to do to get over my broken heart."  
  
"May ah?" He asked, pointing to the space next to her, she nodded. He sat and continued, "thanks, ah'm Remy, by th' way, Remy Le Beau, alter ego - Gambit."  
  
"Gambit?"  
  
"Yeah, il sometime have this notion to turn mon hand to poker, cher, il also turn cards into explosives, as well as other missiles, handy when Remy get into fight."  
  
"And do you do that often?"  
  
"Non, Remy more your 'run from danger' kinda guy. Vous Rogue isn't you, cher?"  
  
"Ah'm sure you already know that, and ah think you already know what my story is."  
  
"Il guess. Remy did ask a lotta question 'bout you. You seem so sad, and beb is too beautiful to be sad."  
  
"Hey, if you're trying to hit on me, it's not appreciated!" Rogue burst out.  
  
"Ah'm not!" He said, hands up in the air in protest, a grin appearing over his face. "Well, Remy guess il would if il thought Remy stood a chance, especially when competition is so tough." Rogue didn't look amused. Remy continued, "look, Rogue, ah know its gonna be difficult but you gotta get over this, cher, il don deserve you anyways if il didn't come running as soon as you told 'im how you felt."  
  
"Ah know. And ah guess analysing ain't gonna help either."  
  
"Non, definitely non!" Remy laughed. Rogue watched him laugh; it was so natural, not forced or false, just easy. She couldn't help but join him, and it felt so good. She hadn't felt this good in ages. "How old vous, Rogue, if you don mind Remy askin'?"  
  
"Ah don't mind, ah'm twenty. You?"  
  
"Remy twenty-five. Vous do realise twenty too young for anyone to 'ave broken heart, don you, mon ami?"  
  
"Yeah, ah guess."  
  
"Where you from?"  
  
"Meridian."  
  
"Thought Remy recognised the accent, il spent couple of days dare when il left New Orleans. Vous know, knew that you and Remy would hit it off, bein' from aroun' da same area an' all."  
  
"Two hundred miles is hardly the same area." She laughed.  
  
"Its closer dan vous might tink when you're ro-day."  
  
"Ah guess ah know that, ah ran to Alberta."  
  
"Alberta?" He questioned, his eyebrows arched high on his forehead. "Dat far, eh?"  
  
"Not the Alberta in Alabama, Alberta province in Canada. That's where ah met Log., ah mean Wolverine." Her body language was now telling Remy that that topic was off limits. Remy couldn't resist, there was no way he wasn't going to talk about it.  
  
"Vous know, referrin' to Logan as Wolverine ain't gonna make you get over 'im any quicker. Dare are one or deux ways vous could cope wit' dis, cher."  
  
"And those are," Rogue was miserable again.  
  
"You could tell 'im to go to hell, dat'll get it all outta your system an make vous feel so much better."  
  
Rogue looked at him, he was even better looking in profile with the sun shining through his hair. "And the other?"  
  
"You could show 'im what il missin'. Vous know find someone else, show 'im dat vous know how t' 'ave a good time an' dat your affection are now safely directed at someone else. Who knows it may 'ave de effect of actual bringin' 'im 'round, if dass what you wan'."  
  
"And who exactly do you suggest ah date?"  
  
"How about Remy, you know, de tall, dark, handsome stranger dat nobody know anythin' 'bout. Remy could show vous a good time."  
  
"So, you were hitting on me!" Rogue smiled.  
  
"You foun' Remy out."  
  
"Okay, ah'll do it, on one condition though."  
  
"Name it, cher!"  
  
"You tell me everything about yourself, especially since you know everything about me."  
  
"Okay, when do you wanna do dis?"  
  
"How 'bout tonight, no time like the present is there?"  
  
"Right, pick vous up aroun' sept heure, cher?"  
  
"Great! Ah'll see you then." Rogue got up from her position and proceeded to step towards the house, she turned around briefly to see if Remy was watching her, and found herself blush when she noticed he was. Very intently, in fact. Rogue was in seventh heaven as she turned back to continue on her journey, smiling at the thought of her and Remy going out together, and that evening.  
  
Crossing over the threshold on her way back into the house Rogue had an overwhelming desire to seek out Charles and instead of making her way up the ornate staircase turned and walked down the hall towards his office. She didn't need to knock when she reached the door, the professor already knew she was there and asked her to enter the office.  
  
When she entered she saw that he was in conversation with Jean and Logan, and folders and scrawled notes were strewn all over his desk and the adjoining table. "Ah'll come back."  
  
"No, please join us Rogue. We wish to discuss something with you."  
  
Eyeing Logan nervously, as she made a path to a vacant chair, she sat down and made herself relatively comfortable. "Okay," she began, "How can ah help?"  
  
"These notes are what Beth brought from England with her, they are her notes on the mind control studies she was involved with at the institute."  
  
"And what do they have to do with me?"  
  
"We'd like to get you started on the program." Jean put in.  
  
"Without Beth?" Rogue asked. "Wouldn't that piss her off, using her knowledge without her?"  
  
A spark of anger flashed through Logan's eyes, but he sat still and said nothing. Jean and Charles looked at one another before Charles finally said, "considering her condition, she wouldn't even know what we were doing. I found Beth, using Cerebro, two days ago. When Jean, Scott and Logan," Rogue looked over to Logan when she heard his name mentioned, "brought her in that evening, she was badly beaten. She's in a coma, Rogue."  
  
"So what? Don't you normally wait for people to come out of coma's if they can?" Rogue noticed the heightened rage that Logan now felt and decided to ask what she could do. "Ah'm sorry, what does this all have to do with me?" She said calmly.  
  
It was now Jean's turn to speak, "We have been looking over these notes and have come up with a program to help you to control your ability. Once you are ready we would then like you to transfer some of Logan's healing power from himself to Beth, and hopefully bring her back. Obviously, it is up to you, you will not experience anything other than what you already do when you touch someone but all the same, you must decide if you wish to help."  
  
"Okay, then no, ah want to learn to control my ability, but ah don't want to do this, ah don't wanna hurt no one."  
  
"Rogue?" Logan spat out.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Is this about what you told me?" Logan asked, deeply hurt.  
  
"No, it has nothing to do with the other night, don't even concern yourself with what ah said to you the other night. Ah was being foolish, ah thought ah loved you but after careful consideration ah now realise ah did not. Ah'm seeing someone else now anyway." Jean and Charles, both with furrowed brows, looked at each other and then turned their attention back to the conversation going on around them.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"That is none of your business, Logan. Ah don't wanna do this because ah don't wanna hurt no one, you, Beth nor me. Anyone can speculate as to what could or couldn't happen, but no one really knows."  
  
"If we could satisfy you that there would be no ill affects to anyone would you reconsider?" Charles asked, desperation flowing through his tone.  
  
"Yes, Ah would reconsider. Ah will even make a start on this mind control thing tomorrow too. At least that way if you can satisfy me that ah won't hurt no one then we can try to help Beth as soon as possible. Is that all?"  
  
"Yes, thank you Rogue, very much." Charles said and added, in a thought only she could hear, 'have a good date tonight with Remy.'  
  
'Thanks, I will.' Rouge thought, whilst saying, "My pleasure, I'll see you bright and early in the morning professor."  
  
"See you then."  
  
Rogue rose from her seat and made her way out of the office. Just as she was climbing the stairs she was caught on the arm by a gloved hand. She turned around, readying herself for a confrontation as she was expecting to see Logan, but Remy was standing before her instead. "Il know it's not seven yet bu' Remy couldn' wait." He whispered.  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Dis." Taking her in his arms he leant in towards her. Anticipation coursed through her body, a feeling of inexperience rose up but instead of hiding from her fear of being 'no good', she ran towards the light of hope that shone in front of her now closed eyes, like a beacon. In a moment Remy's lips were on hers, gently caressing the sensitive skin that formed them, and in another moment they were gone. He must have known about her power. Opening her eyes again she adjusted her head so that she could focus on his face, he moved to brush the white forelocks away from her face and she watched him smile as he looked deeply into her eyes. She must have returned his gaze with one of disbelief as he asked her, "didn't vous enjoy dat, beb?"  
  
"Yes, very much," she replied, "Ah'm just a little shocked that's all."  
  
"Il know it wasn' for long or anythin', but Remy figured dat we could both handle somethin' dat was short an' sweet."  
  
"It certainly was that! Ah can't wait for later, either. But if you still intend to pick me up at seven you better let me get on."  
  
"No problem, Remy'll see you soon." Reaching for her hand he brought it to his lips and gently kissed the gloved limb. Letting it go he turned on his heel and made his way down to his own room. As she watched him leave her eyes passed over a familiar figure. Logan, and he didn't look very happy. 'Tough,' she thought, 'he had his chance and blew it. I hope he got an eyeful.'  
  
Smiling toward him she too turned back to continue her ascent up the staircase to her own room. Logan could go to hell, if he thought he now stood a chance. She was going to enjoy her evening with the newest addition to the household, the devastatingly handsome Cajun, known as Remy Le Beau. 


	11. The date

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
A/n: Hope everyone is enjoying this and thanks for all the reviews so far. Have changed the mistakes made in earlier chapters and tried to make Remy sound a bit more Cajun in last one (hope I haven't offended anyone!!). Please, please, please read and review if you want, I like feedback especially if I've got something wrong (hee hee)!!!  
  
Chapter 11 - The date  
  
"Wow, how'd you know about this place?" Rogue asked Remy as he helped her into her seat at the table he had reserved for them earlier that evening.  
  
"Th' professor told Remy 'bout it!" he answered, "Il tought we migh' like it, Remy s'pose, cher." He watched her as she looked around the restaurant, wide eyed, taking in all of its details, the polished wooden floors, the raised seating areas, the bright décor, the waiter's dressed in Creole type costume and the sepia prints of New Orleans and Louisiana clustered all over any exposed space on the walls. Mock gas lamps hung from the ceilings casting an amber glow over everything in the large room and although the restaurant was fairly busy, the pace was easy and friendly.  
  
Rogue caught Remy's eye as she scanned over the room, and noticed that he didn't shy away from her gaze. Her face shone with the excitement and anticipation of it all and she could honestly say this was the happiest she had been in a long time. "Well, ah don't know about you Remy, but ah love this place. So nostalgic and charming. Ah just hope the food comes up to the same standard."  
  
"Remy sure it will," he said, his eyes sparkling as he smiled at the striking young woman that sat before him. He too, had noticed the surroundings that were around him, but nothing compared to Rogue. He remembered back to when he had picked her up. Even though he had seen her only an hour or so before he knocked on her door, he was surprised to see the transformation that had taken place in so short a time. The black long sleeved t-shirt, dark green jeans and lace up trucker boots had gone and in their place was the most astounding dress he had ever seen. Rogue looked a picture of loveliness, the dress being of a simple design but none-the-less a heart stopper. She had been standing in her doorway looking completely bemused as he took in her form. The main dress was made of a silver grey crepe, knee length, and with an empire line brought in delicately around her waist and over her hips to define her shape. Spaghetti straps held the dress in place. It was then covered in organza of the same shade, which was highlighted by silver threads. It followed the same shape as the under dress but this covered her from her neck to her wrists and finished at just below the knee. The hems were sewn with satin in a slightly darker hue.  
  
He had been gob smacked by the effect of her figure on him. He knew he liked her but until that moment had not been aware of how much. He had looked to her face then, noticing that her hair had been pulled up into a pleat and light touches of make-up had been applied to her eyelids and mouth. "Are we gonna get going," she had said and moved past him into the hallway. He had then seen her retreating figure. Her back, although covered in the organza, was not entirely covered by the crepe and he noticed the slant of her walk as she moved away . breathtaking! He just stared at her open mouthed. Whenever he had seen her before she had been covered from head to foot, but now . "Hey, Remy?" she whispered into his ear. How had she got back there so quickly? He then felt her caressing his cheek, he checked her hand as she moved it away, she had gloves made of the same organza as the dress and she was standing taller too, he hadn't noticed the healed shoes she was wearing either. Pulling himself together he had offered her his arm and they had walked through the mansion under the watchful gaze of everyone as they passed. Even Logan had kept on looking, seemingly surprised, but all in all happy.  
  
A waiter appeared at their table and offered them a menu each. "Would either of you like a drink from the bar whilst you are deciding what you would like?"  
  
"Ah'll have a diet coke, please." Rogue said.  
  
"Bourbon straight, please." The waiter disappeared leaving Rogue and Remy alone again in their personal bubble. Remy browsed through the menu, "What take' your fancy, Rogue."  
  
Rogue looked up and caught him looking her over again. "It's Marie," she smiled.  
  
"Dat such a pretty name, why don' you use it."  
  
"Ah dunno, ah guess its cause ah wanna hide away from my past. You must know what ah did, how ah found out about my mutancy."  
  
"Vous put a boy in da hospital for deux week, non?"  
  
"Yeah, ah thought ah killed him, thing was my parents didn't wanna know me after that so ah took off. Ah always wanted to travel to Canada and Alaska so that's where ah headed for."  
  
The waiter reappeared with the ordered drinks and set them on the table. "Can I take your order, or would you like a few more minutes."  
  
"Marie, are you ready?" Remy enquired.  
  
"Ah'll have a plantation jambalaya, please."  
  
"And for you, sir"  
  
"Remy have da Chicken Pontalba." With their order the waiter disappeared again. "So what you wanna know 'bout Remy?"  
  
Rogue looked across at him slightly puzzled. "Huh?"  
  
"You say vous come out wit moi, if il tell Remy story."  
  
"Oh yeah, ah remember, tell me everything about your growing up an' all." Remy started to tell her his story, about him being left alone as a baby, being adopted and then left for an orphan, his time as a pickpocket, marrying Belladonna under duress and separating from her, running away after he had killed Bella's brother in a duel, being under the scrutiny of Magneto for that short time, and finding his home with the X-men. He know felt that he was in a place were he was wanted and would be loved. And Rogue knew he was right, for the first time in her life she knew that what she was beginning to feel for the man who was sitting opposite her was more than she had ever felt for anyone, even Logan. It scared her a little bit; after all she had really only known him a short while but she had felt such a strange and alien emotion surge through her body when he had kissed her earlier on. Made even stronger by his will to defy her power. Okay their kiss had been over almost as quickly as it had been started, but she was sure that what they had shared was of the purest and most natural sentiment . love. It had nothing to do with raw sex and passion, well perhaps it did a little bit, especially after she had inspected him as he stood before her when she had opened the door to her room to him. Remy had really bothered to look good for her. He wore black dress pants and teamed them with a black silk shirt. Black brogues had completed the ensemble and he had used a little gel in his hair to stop it from constantly falling into his face. It had been at that moment that she had seen his eyes properly, the red irises were remarkable and made more notable by their black surround, he really was handsome and she couldn't believe how lucky she was.  
  
Even when their food had arrived, they had become so relaxed in one another's company talking, that they didn't seem to notice. However they ate readily and shared everything about themselves as well as their food. They had even ordered a banana's foster to share between them and were surprised and amazed at the waiter's ability to cook the recipe at their table. With the hot bananas melting the ice cream beneath Rogue and Remy took turns feeding each other the delicious sweet. Rogue couldn't think of anything more romantic, until Remy took her hands across the table and held onto them, caressing them with the fingers and thumbs of his own, continuing to soothe her with his words and lilting accent.  
  
When they had finished they had walked from the Restaurant hand in hand and made there way across the street to the park opposite. They found a seat situated in one of the walled gardens, shutting the world out with their conversation and watching the sun finally dissipate it's glowing embers over the roses that were planted near to them. Neither knew what the time was, and if asked would probably have suggested that it had stopped completely.  
  
An uncomfortable silence rose up when Remy had asked Rogue about her helping out Beth, he had heard a rumour circulating the school and wanted to know if any of it was true.  
  
"Marie, Remy sorry to make you sad, il not mean to." Lifting his concealed hand to her chin he brought her face around to that he could look into her eyes.  
  
"Ah know Remy, ah guess ah'm just a little upset its gotta be me that helps Logan and his girlfriend out." A confused look appeared in Remy's eyes. "You know Logan and ah had had a falling out," she continued, "well, it was to do with my feelings for him and his feelings for her."  
  
Remy's expression changed. "You realise Logan like Beth. You realise Logan more like pere than lover. Remy sad for Marie, but il wanna know her better if she wants."  
  
"Remy, ah have enjoyed myself so much, this evening. Ah can't even believe how stupid ah have been over this whole damn Logan thing. Ah knew we could never be more than what we were to one another but your heart always thinks otherwise. Thing is after spending tonight with you and finding out all about you, ah wanna get to know more. Ah never thought that what ah had for Logan was such a school girl's crush and never believed that my head could be turned so quickly, but it has. If its okay with you ah would like to take things slow but ah really wanna get to know you more."  
  
The "Oui" Remy answered with was barely audible as he leant in to kiss Rogue. She moved back noticing the look of confusion wash through his features.  
  
"Ah don't wanna hurt you!" she whispered back. Remy took hold of her left hand and started to pull at the fingers of the organza glove that she was wearing. Realising what he was doing she deftly removed the garment and whilst tilting her head slightly backwards she laid the glove over her mouth. Remy didn't need much more of an invitation and closed the gap between them.  
  
The contact was exhilarating for them both. Rogue opened her mouth willing Remy to massage her tongue with his own as well as his lips, the gentle sucking, nibbling and stroking evoking many emotions and responses. Rogue's arms snaked around Remy's neck as he drew her deeper and deeper into their kiss, each taking care not to touch any exposed skin. Rogue's hands were in Remy's hair, caressing and massaging the tendrils she had in her palms. Remy's arms were twisted around Rogue's waist pulling her closer to him, feeling her pleasure rise as he pressed his chest against hers, his heart swelling with the knowledge that she wanted him.  
  
Rogue felt similar feelings herself, she knew the powerful sexual feelings and desires that were releasing themselves over her conscience and she was aware that had she not had this strange power there would be no stopping her from experiencing the one thing that most other women her age would have done by now. Her heart raced and her head exploded with Remy's physical advances but she knew she had to stop. She didn't want to, but she had to and quickly, before she had the chance to hurt him. She trusted him, she just didn't trust herself. She pulled away regretfully and retracted the damp glove away from her mouth. "Ah'm sorry, Remy. Ah had to stop, before it was too late."  
  
"Remy understand. Vous tink dat we could've gone too far and you hurt Remy. Marie, Remy want to wait as long as it takes. Day by day we get closer, we know more 'bout each other, we have small kiss and we take it slow. Remy sorry il took tings too quick."  
  
"Remy, we both went a bit quick, sugah. Ah'm caught up in all these emotions and feelings ah ain't never had before and if ah didn't have this diseased skin, well then who knows what tonight might have been."  
  
"Marie, skin is an obstacle, oui! But we will get over it, together and wit' professor help. Remy want vous, but il want your love too, beb." He stood up from the bench and held his hand out for her, she took it and neither could deny the surge of energy that electrified them when they touched. For a minute they held each other's gaze before Remy continued. "Remy tink we should get going, vous 'ave an early start demain."  
  
"Yes, ah do." Rogue said as she took his arm and they began to retrace their way back to their car. "And will my prince keep me safe until ah am safely tucked up in bed?"  
  
"Oui, mon cher. Remy will keep vous safe for all time, il never leave your side." And strangely, Rogue knew that he meant every word. 


	12. Progress and relationships

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 12 - Progress and relationships  
  
"Ah just can't do it!" Rogue exclaimed. She was so angry, so angry with Jean and Charles for pushing her to her limits, and so angry with herself for not being able to get over those limits. "We've spent day and night in here trying to get this thing working and ah just can't do it." Frustration was closing in quickly.  
  
"If you could just concentrate a little harder then maybe ." Jean started but the look on Rogue's face told her not to continue.  
  
"Ah'm tired, Jean, tired and hungry and frustrated and in god damn need of someone else's company, and ah'm not trying to be difficult or anything but unless ah can have some time off ah won't be able to apply what little concentration ah have left. Perhaps ah'm just trying too hard."  
  
Through the viewing window at the side of the danger room a couple of concerned faces looked at one another. "Rogue is our only hope of getting Beth back, she has to keep trying." Logan said, exasperated.  
  
"Logan, do you really think that keeping Rogue locked up in this room is going to get her to achieve her goal any quicker. She has promised that she will do it and so she will, I have complete faith in her."  
  
"And meanwhile, your niece lies in the lab without any hope of comin' through her coma."  
  
"I have no doubt that Beth will come around, she is a fighter and she will not let a thing like this keep her down."  
  
"Look, prof, we have to face facts here, she may not come out of this."  
  
"Logan, am I to believe that your part in this is only for your own selfish gain or do you truly wish Beth to be okay?"  
  
"That girl in there holds the key to my past, of course I'm selfish. But she is also a member of the team and there was something about her that day I helped her before she disappeared, something in her eyes. I don't know?" Logan faced Charles and Charles thought he saw some mixed emotion, could he see faint hope, he wasn't sure. He wanted to ask but could he risk it?  
  
Suddenly, Rogue's raised voice was heard over the speaker system. "Alright, Jean, this is absolutely the last time today. Ah'll give it one last go."  
  
All eyes were upon her as she closed her own. She began to concentrate on using her mind to deliberately switch over from life taker to life keeper, could she do it. She was aware of Remy, his image popped into her mind and she began to feel happy, happy that she knew him, yet sad that she couldn't touch him or kiss him properly. The way she always dreamed about.  
  
As if by magic she felt a tingling sensation sweep over her body, maybe that was it, some kind of happiness that she could enjoy was the key to this whole thing. Jean and Charles had mentioned something to her about thinking about happy thoughts but she was never quite sure what they had meant. After all, this had to be the umpteenth time she had tried this today, let alone over the past few weeks. But this was the first time she had thought of Remy, she hadn't thought about him before because she felt he may be a distraction, and what a distraction, those eyes, that beautiful hair she could run her fingers through, his laugh, his coat. A smile appeared across her face but the tingling began to slow down. 'Okay maybe ah should just think about him, and not fantasize about him,' she thought, and noticed that her control over her thoughts brought the tingling sensation back again. Could this be it, could this be her ticket to emotional freedom. She had to know. Her eyes snapped open as she moved to remove the glove that was on her left hand, pulling herself up from where she sat she stepped across to where Jean stood.  
  
Jean was unsure of what was going to happen but then she had volunteered. She couldn't back out now, and she did trust Rogue, after all. She knew that Rogue would pull her hand away as soon as she could feel the relentless surge that would take away her colleagues power, so why did she feel so uneasy. It was probably the look of pleasure that had spread over the whole of Rogue's face, hers in turn filling with dread and panic.  
  
"It's gonna be okay, Jean. Ah would never dream of hurtin' you."  
  
"Okay, Rogue. If you're sure?"  
  
"Ah'm sure, here goes." Rogue reached forward with the naked limb and took hold of Jean's right hand. Rogue knew that in a matter of seconds she would take hold of Jean's power if she had misjudged what she was feeling, but a whole minute went by before she realised it wasn't going to happen. Both girls looked at one another in shock, had what they had been trying to accomplish for so long really just happen. "Have ah done it? Have ah? Ah have. Ah've done it Jean. Ah can control it."  
  
"Yes, that's great Rogue, we're on our way."  
  
"Yeah we are!" Turning slightly she made out that now Charles and Logan were also in the room and both were very happy with the result. To make a point she said again "Ah really did it."  
  
"Yes, Rogue. We always knew you would." Charles was excited; he was now a step closer to having his beloved niece back. "And perhaps in a few days we can start on the next part of the program."  
  
"Oh yeah, ah'd love to, Charles. Ah know ah've been a complete pain in the arse recently but after what you told me last night, all those assurances you gave me, ah feel ah can really start moving forward now."  
  
"That's good, thank you."  
  
"My pleasure, after all, we've gotta get that miserable face of Wolverine's to brighten up." She said, turning towards him. Things, although still strained, were better between them. Logan could see that Rogue was happy with Remy, he just hoped and prayed that Remy wouldn't steal her heart away and walk all over it like he had.  
  
"Thanks for the concern, Rogue. But I'm a big boy now, if I want to be miserable then I should be allowed to be." "You could write a book on it, Mr 'ah need to know what my past is and ah don't care how ah get it.'" Rogue countered, immediately wishing she hadn't when she noticed the look of pain and sorrow wash over Logan's features. "Sorry, look ah'm tired and ah need to see Remy. What do you say if we make it Tuesday first thing for the next session?"  
  
"Okay, Rogue. That will be fine, see you then." Charles said as he left the danger room closely followed by Jean. Logan stood in his spot for a little while longer before he made the effort to move.  
  
"Wait, Logan." Rogue said. "Ah'm sorry for what ah just said, ah didn't realise how much Beth meant to you."  
  
"What? You think some woman I don't know means anything to me!"  
  
"Logan. You've been practically at her side, holding some kind of vigil by her bed all the hours you're not up here watching me screw up."  
  
"Marie, you done good. You ain't screwed up."  
  
"Thanks, you don't know how much that means coming from you."  
  
"Don't I? I was a fool, I'm sorry I've messed you about, Marie. But I never thought you would ever harbour any kind of feelin's for me!"  
  
"Logan ah was the fool, believing my crush was the real thing. Ah realise now that what we had was special, kinda like what a father and daughter would have, not like two mismatched people trying to make it something it wasn't."  
  
"And do you believe this Remy character is the real thing."  
  
"Yeah, just like Beth is for you," Rogue remarked, watching as he went to protest. "No, listen to me, ah'm ashamed to say it but from the first moment Beth walked into our lives ah've been watching you both. Ah've seen the way that the two of you look at one another. Ah mean, ah don't know whether or not you could have some kind of relationship like Remy and me, but ah think you did once, obviously from when you don't remember Logan."  
  
"Nah, you've gotta be kiddin' me? There is no way a woman like her and a man like me ."  
  
"Why not? Stranger things have happened. Like the Wolverine taking on a young charge, ah must admit ah never thought you were going to stop your truck and come back for me."  
  
"I had my reasons," Logan was defensive. "Besides I felt we had a connection."  
  
"Me too. Thanks . dad!" She said, hoping the response would be better this time.  
  
It was. "Okay, kiddo. And just remember, play safe. I know you're old enough to look after yourself but if Remy ever hurts you!"  
  
"Ah know, you'll hurt him bad for me, just like any father would."  
  
"I'd only be looking after my own." Logan smiled, it had been the first time in ages and it felt good. "So you reckon me and Beth got a future?"  
  
"Do you want one?"  
  
"I don't know, I mean a kinda like her an' all but she is outta my league."  
  
"Don't ever put yourself down, Logan. Besides I reckon you're the kind of man she would go for. Ruggedly handsome, well-built and sturdy, lovable in a brutish kinda way, you would be her match in every way."  
  
"Mmm, in every way, eh?"  
  
"She probably needs a man like you after the dull types she'd meet in her circles, probably feels like you'd be her bit of rough."  
  
A gleam set itself in Logan's eyes, "Bit of rough, reckon I could be someone's bit of rough, do ya? And she wouldn't want me for love then, either?"  
  
"No, ah reckon not, Logan, she'd just want you to 'make love to her'."  
  
"Is that any way to speak to your old pa?" He joked.  
  
"Guess not, but ah've gotten away with it before and ah'm sure ah'll get away with it again."  
  
"Maybe." He responded. Rogue made her way over to him. She still could feel the tingling coursing through her body and decided that it was as good a time as any other to show some emotion towards the man that had taken her under his wing all those years before. Folding her arms around him she moved to place her head on his chest. He accepted and moved his own arms around her. He brought his head down to meet her crown and placed a small kiss where the white strands met. "Sorry, Marie. Sorry for hurting you, but know I will always be here for you if you ever need me. I love you."  
  
"I know. I love you too." She responded, pulling away from him to look into his face. They both knew that from that moment their relationship had definitely moved to another level. Surrogate father and daughter and it felt good knowing that each would always be there for the other. Rogue smiled, "I have to go, I have to see Remy."  
  
"Of course, go and have a good time." Logan responded, returning her smile, and then she was gone.  
  
Logan felt good, it wasn't every day that a man had a good talk with his 'child'. In fact, in the modern world, it was nigh on impossible, but he knew that they would always be able to talk, whatever the problems they each had. 'Now on to the next one,' he thought as he made his way out of the danger room and found himself walking towards the lab, 'I have to tell Beth about the progress we've all made today.' 


	13. My hearts desire

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 13 - My hearts desire  
  
Logan awoke to the sound of rain tapping against the window. In truth it was only drizzle but his heightened sense of hearing made it sound more than it was. He moved to relax himself on his elbows and watched the curtains that Rogue insisted he hung, float around in the early morning breeze. A whisper of sunshine tried to break through the hazy light grey clouds that threatened to drop more of their load as they passed by, but none of it really meant anything to him this morning. Even the scent of the fruit in the orchard did nothing to calm him, for today they would truly find out if Rogue could control her ability long enough and be able to switch from a consumer to a distributor; which meant today he would be needed as the 'lab rat'.  
  
Although he wasn't particularly looking forward to the forthcoming events, he knew that in order for Beth to reunite herself with the world he had to do it. Rogue was literally going to sap some of his healing power and transfer that power into whatever needed it. They were going to try it on half dead plants and mice though first, before they attempted any of this on Beth.  
  
Beth, he could only imagine how she would react to seeing him laying out beside her when she opened her eyes for what would be the first time in three and a half weeks. He was sure that he wouldn't find any reciprocation of his feelings in those exquisite brown orbs that could hold no malice. Yes, she may have been angry with him at the start but she had warmed to him, the picnic they had shared about a month ago had shown him that. After all she was attracted to him, but he needed more from her. This wasn't some woman he just wanted to take, although his dreams may have suggested otherwise, he wanted to love her and feel the need for her, and in return wanted her to need and love him too.  
  
He had watched over her body, choosing times when no one else would be around, talking to her and showing more than an ounce of concern. He knew he was being watched on occasion too, after all no one could blame Charles for showing his concern for his niece, but he never butted in when Logan was there knowing that Logan needed his time with her too. Logan felt sure that maybe . just maybe . she may have woken up out of that god damn coma and seen him there, holding her hand or touching her brow or running his fingers through the silky mass of her hair. He thought that if she could see the real him, the him that he never showed to anyone, then she might just drop her guard and tell him the truth. He knew that she had lied to him about her 'friend' and she had tried to skirt around the issue on their last meeting, if only Ororo hadn't have found them so quickly she may have then been able to tell him. He felt a connection with this woman and he was damn sure it was more than she was letting on. Had they been lovers? Or even married? Only she could tell him that, but he knew they had been close he could sense it. But the anger she had for him and the attraction that had been so evident on their first meeting had been a complete contradiction. But then did he really care to find out?  
  
His body and mind were in no doubt, both suggesting that he take her as his own as soon as she was fit and able. Angry with himself for such thoughts as what was left of the gentleman inside him took over, he searched his heart for the answer. It too gave a positive response making him believe he was a fool for even asking the question.  
  
Bringing himself up from the bed he noticed the discarded pillows and sheets that lay around him on the floor. The sheet covering the mattress was in complete disarray itself, making him wonder what his dream was about last night; he knew he hadn't dreamt about being locked away in some room with masked scientists inserting syringes and other things into his body, watching as the adamantium disappeared from its chamber into his body. He hadn't dreamt about that for a long time, in fact since he moved out of Beth's room. A much more pleasant subject matter had replaced those imaginings. At first he had thought he had dreamt about Rogue, seeing her dark hair splay over his body as she worked butterfly kisses over him and nipped at his body, but the white streaks were missing and the woman never showed her face to him. He felt all the right sensations but he never could quite tell who it was that was assailing him in such a manner.  
  
Upon seeing Beth for the first time he realised that they had a connection and was soon to learn that he wasn't wrong. His dreams only seemed to reinforce his feelings as the woman in his dreams slowly sought to unveil herself as the nights went on. A full week had passed before he knew her identity. It had been Beth, a much younger Beth granted, but Beth all the same. And because of all the evidence that had been laid before him his heart had told him that they had not merely been friends in his former life, they had certainly been more.  
  
Standing in front of the full-length mirror that adorned one door of the wardrobe he looked himself over. For the first time in his life he realised he didn't know who he was, watching the muscles flex as he moved his arms and legs around; he was some old, scarred, shadow of the man he used to be and he only knew that from what Beth had told him so far. "There is no way she is going to want me," he said to himself, "look at me, I don't even know who I am anymore."  
  
He donned a pair of boxers that he pulled from the top drawer of his chest and walked over to the open window. A cool breeze swept over his naked torso making him shudder as he sat in the recliner that was positioned there. Leaning back into its welcoming comfort he looked out through the pane trying to forget his past recollections but nothing worked, he had her in his mind; nothing would take that away from him.  
  
"Beth, I need you! I need to know what I did to you that was so wrong. I need to know how I hurt you, so that I can have the chance to make it up to you. Please don't give up on me." He heard his words on the wind as it changed direction. He hoped that it would take them to her and make her understand, that was all he wanted. Bringing his hands to his face he noticed the small droplets that had rested on them, he felt the cool wet trails that extended over his cheeks and knew that he had wept, not for himself but for Beth and what he had done to her. He let his head rest backwards onto the head of the chair and let the emotion tear out of his slightly rocking body. "I love you!" He murmured before his eyes closed and he slept again.  
  
***  
  
"Ah hope you're sitting comfortably, Logan, 'cause ah wanna get this over with," Rogue said, noticing the look of panic that quickly washed over Logan's face.  
  
"You better get on with it before I change my mind." He responded, smiling weakly.  
  
"Okay, here goes!" Rogue touched Logan briefly taking a very small amount of his ability in order to pass it onto the half dead plant that was positioned on the bench next to them, four previous attempts lying around its base in clumps of mush. Turning her attention to the plant she switched over her power and tried a different tack to her earlier motions. She began to infuse the ability into the plants leaves. For a minute nothing happened. "What did you do to it this time . nothin'?" Logan joked.  
  
"Well, ah thought ah . wait, what's that?"  
  
The centre of the plant began to vibrate as a shoot started to grow from the top. The leaves had plumped up as if full of liquid and a bud was forming out of the shoot. "This looks promising." Jean said. And it was; they watched on as the plant went from strength to strength in a matter of minutes.  
  
"Maybe we should try this out on the school's cat, Lynx." Logan interjected.  
  
"Maybe we should wait," Jean answered, "I think we better try it out on a few of those mice we got from the university first."  
  
They spent the rest of the day trying out Rogue's new ability and did indeed end the day by helping out Lynx; she had been in a fight with another feline and come home the previous evening in a very poorly state. Rogue had given Lynx a small amount of Logan's healing ability and the cat's body absorbed all of the wounds as if she had not been attacked, running away from the scene as soon as she was able. "Ungrateful, mangy, good for nothing, moggie!" Logan began.  
  
"Ah'm sure Lynx is grateful, probably scared you'll eat her alive though!"  
  
"Very funny!" Logan glowered.  
  
Rogue smiled at him. "You're obviously tired, Logan. Why don't you get some rest we can resume this tomorrow."  
  
"No, I wanna do this now. Now that we know this will work we need to go and help Beth."  
  
"And by helping Beth, you are willing to kill yourself?" Jean asked.  
  
"Yeah, Logan. You won't be any good to her if your outta it, will you?"  
  
"I'll be fine. Chuck, back me up, please?"  
  
"Logan, Rogue and Jean are right, you need to rest, and another few hours is not going to be the end of the world. You need to eat and then rest, and that doesn't mean you rest by Beth's side tonight either. Eat and go to bed."  
  
"Okay. Okay. I'll do as you say but only . because I know you have everyone's best interests at heart. Well I'll see you kids in the mornin' then, say 9.00."  
  
And that was that. Charles watched over Beth himself that night, knowing that it would be better for all concerned especially if Logan decided to wander down there in the middle of the night. Charles knew Logan would turn back if he saw Charles there.  
  
Jean slept better than she had in a long time, knowing that tomorrow would finally be the day when Beth would come around. Comas did tend to complicate matters. This in turn had helped her relationship with Scott; they had talked over a private meal for two, discussing the events of the day. She knew she was getting her life back, he knew he was getting his fiancé back.  
  
Rogue shared a pizza with Remy as they sat in front of some action movie that the others had started to watch in the recreation room. Suddenly having the urge to have Remy to herself they walked hand in hand out to the gardens. She told him of the events that had passed over the last few days and that after tomorrow they could finally have some time to themselves to talk and get to know one another properly. They eventually found their way to Rogue's room and lay on top of her bed together, spooning. It wasn't long before Rogue was asleep in Remy's arms, himself finding slumber soon afterwards.  
  
Logan ate monstrously, for the first time in ages. Cook was relieved to see he had some, if not all, of his appetite back. And after such a hefty meal he needed to walk some of it off. He started out around the outside of the building and smoked one of his cigars as he went.  
  
Taking a detour towards the stables Logan noticed Rogue and Remy talking together by the pond. Not wishing to disturb them he moved onwards and soon found the outbuilding that led to the garage and beyond.  
  
Ten minutes later Logan found himself outside of the lab. He heeded Chuck's warning for about two seconds before he pushed open the door to the outer chamber. Looking through the glass he noticed Chuck sitting by his niece talking to her, as he himself had done so many times before. He knew that Charles would have felt his presence so he couldn't go in and see her. He made his way back to his room, she was in good hands after all, and he had no need to worry about her tonight.  
  
Once he had shut out the outside world, he removed his normal day dress of jeans and t-shirt and threw them into a pile that was already marked by his socks and boots. Draping himself over his bed he began to relax and take in the days proceedings. He was happy, happy in the knowledge that tomorrow could start a new chapter in his life.  
  
"It won't be long now, my love!" Logan said, as his eyes flickered to close and dreams, he hoped, of his future took over from the relentless turmoil that his heart was suffering. 


	14. The truth will out

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 14 - The truth will out  
  
Logan strode into the lab at precisely 9.00 am to find everyone waiting for him. He was dressed in the light grey t-shirt and shorts provided and when he looked around the lab he noticed that Beth was dressed in the same. Beth had her hair pulled back, he assumed so that Rogue could get a better hold on her face. They had discussed the options the day before and it was decided that the head would be the best place to induce Logan's ability into Beth's body.  
  
Logan hopped onto the empty gurney and lay down, noticing Rogue move in between the two beds.  
  
"Are you okay, Logan? You seem a bit quiet?" Rogue said.  
  
"I'm okay, just didn't sleep too well last night. Is everything ready?"  
  
"Everything is set, we should get going if you are ready?" Jean asked.  
  
"I'm set, guess I'll sleep okay after this."  
  
Rogue moved over to him placing her hands over his temple readying herself for taking the amount of his ability she needed. They guessed that she would need to take a small supply, more than what she took for the cat, but less than she had taken from him on the first two occasions. "Sorry" she whispered as she closed the gap between her hands and his brow. Her skin took hold of his ability as he felt the customary surge through his veins, he could hear his heart thudding in his chest as his body arched up and his mouth gaped open. After a little while he felt Rogue release him and he fell back onto the gurney and into unconsciousness.  
  
Rogue moved away upon releasing him and Jean rushed to his side, placing the sticky circular contacts onto his major arteries. They had to keep an eye on his status.  
  
Rogue was dumbstruck for a second whilst Jean busied herself over Logan, his short-term memories and dreams running around in Rogue's mind. What on earth had happened to him? She couldn't quite fathom it out. 'No wonder he hasn't been sleeping well,' she thought.  
  
"Rogue, Rogue, come back to us. Earth calling Rogue." Scott said as he waved his hand in front of her face trying to pull her out of reverie.  
  
"You know if your worried about Logan he'll be fine, he's come through worse than this. Rogue?" Jean exclaimed.  
  
"Huh . oh hi! Sorry just got caught up there a little bit. So ah guess it's Beth's turn now." Rogue turned taking in the helpless body that lay before her. It was up to her to deliver the goods. It was up to her to bring Beth out of this. But did she want to? She wouldn't be able to face herself again if she couldn't and nor would Logan. She had to do it, she had no choice. Logan was special to her and there was no way she was going to hurt him by not helping the one person held dear to him besides herself. She had to give it her best shot. Remy came into her thoughts as she managed to change her chameleon skin. Once the tingling sensation was passed and the eerie feeling that signified the metamorphism complete, coursed through her body she knew she was ready. Placing her hands now over Beth's brow she again closed the gap. Skin met skin and soon she too could feel the reaction that Logan had felt before her as the healing ability she was incubating moved from herself into Beth.  
  
It was then that she realised something on this occasion was different. She expected the throw back and the gasping for air, she had seen it many times before when she had touched people to absorb them. But nothing could prepare her for what came next. Healing the plants, mice and even the cat had had no effects like this, she only ever thought she could take a part of a persons mind when she was pulling from them what her skin needed, she never thought it would happen the other way too.  
  
A certain time bracket came into view as she continued to pass on the healing factor to Beth. It must have been from years before as Rogue noticed the fashion was very different. Beth was getting married, she looked lovely and standing at the altar was . Logan. Her eyes flashed open momentarily as she became witness to their happy scene. So they were married, big deal. She could cope with that. Other images followed, Beth found out she was pregnant and was very happy, only to have that happiness washed away as she found Logan had left without a trace. Funny thing was, considering how happy they had appeared to be together; he had left leaving everything behind. Then things became fuzzy for a second as a new time frame appeared. Magneto was standing in front of Beth giving her an explanation of how she would help him rule the world and what he would do to her family if she wouldn't commit herself to his project. He would hurt Logan and he would hurt . Rogue. Rogue raised her hands from Beth and backed away slowly. Tears appeared in her eyes and she began to sob as reality shocked her into submission.  
  
"Rogue, are you okay?" Ororo asked, as the girl looked at her with question. Following her out into the hall she watched as Rogue turned and ran off in the direction of the lifts. "I'm going after her." Ororo said to the group and followed in Rogue's earlier steps.  
  
"Jean, did Beth get enough?" Charles asked, concern evident. He had no idea why Rogue had left in such a hurry but he was sure he would find out.  
  
"I'm not sure, it's a bit early to tell. I'll keep an eye on her and as soon as we have some action I'll let you know." Jean answered.  
  
Charles nodded in response and he and Scott left the lab to see if they could find out what on earth was going on with Rogue.  
  
***  
  
Beth could feel a slight stinging sensation in her back as she tried to move a stiff leg. Her eyes began to flutter open as she caught sight of a ceiling above her with inlaid diffused lights. A movement beside her caught her attention. It was Jeannie and she realised she was in the lab of her uncle's Westchester mansion.  
  
"Hey, you awake?" Jean asked.  
  
"Yeah. What happened? Why am I on one of your slabs? And why have I got the mother of all headaches?" Beth asked.  
  
"Where do you want me to start?" "From the beginning, that's always a good spot you know!"  
  
"Well, Magneto imprisoned you for a little while, I guess you remember that?"  
  
"Yeah, and I remember being taken out to Lake Michigan but from there I don't remember a thing."  
  
"Whoever took you to Lake Michigan really didn't like you, you were a battered heap when Charles used Cerebro to find you. He was in and out of there so many times I nearly had to confine him to quarters." Jean smiled, as did Beth but it hurt. Wincing in pain she motioned for Jean to continue. "Well, Scott, Logan and I went in search of you, Logan found you and he made sure that you came home comfortably. I should say that along with Charles, he has been a pillar of strength. There has practically not been a night when he hasn't been at your side talking to you and making sure you were okay. The slightest thing and I would be up out of bed."  
  
"So what was wrong with me?"  
  
"What was right with you? When Logan found you, you were bruised and battered from head to foot. Some of your ribs were cracked, there were contusions all over your body and you had internal bleeding. I really didn't think you were going to make it. You were also in a coma, which made it even harder for me to see if there was anything else wrong. You've been lying on this slab for almost four weeks. Anyway, Charles and Logan came up with this idea that if some of Logan's ability could be transferred to you then maybe you could heal yourself and come out of your coma."  
  
"And that's what happened?"  
  
"Yes. Logan and Rogue have done more for you than you could probably ever imagine."  
  
"Yes." Beth replied, smiling inwardly. She noticed the look of worry come over Jean's face. "There is more isn't there?"  
  
"Mmm. Logan is okay, doing good actually," Jean pointed to the form lying on the other bed in the lab. "It's Rogue, whilst she was passing Logan's healing factor over to you she must have seen something in your mind. She stopped the process before she should have, backing out of the room. She was crying."  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
"She's in her room, locked herself in, she won't talk to anyone, not even Remy!"  
  
"Remy? Wasn't she sweet on Logan?"  
  
"Not anymore, those two are inseparable."  
  
At least that was one thing she didn't have to cope with right now, a fledgling relationship starting up between Logan and Rogue. " I have to go and talk to her."  
  
"Beth, she won't talk to anyone. And you can't go anywhere yet either, you're too weak."  
  
"I don't care, Jeannie," menace in Beth's voice, "I have to speak to her, she will talk to me, after all it was my memories that she fled from. Come hell or high water nothing is going to stop me seeing her." Trying to get up from her bed, Beth pushed her legs over the edge and made to stand, weeks of just lying around had allowed the muscles in her limbs to diminish and she fell to the floor in a heap. Her body started to arch as tears rolled down her face, gushing as if someone had opened a reservoir. Jean knelt down beside her and rested her friend's head on her shoulder, soothingly stroking her back in order to try and calm her down. "I have to get to her, Jeannie. There is only one thing she could have seen to make her run from me like that."  
  
"And what's that?" Jean asked, almost inaudibly, noticing that Charles had now joined them.  
  
Straightening up to look directly into Jean's eyes Beth answered, "She's my daughter. Rogue is Logan's and my daughter." 


	15. The whole truth

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 15 - The whole truth  
  
Rogue sat cross-legged on top of her bed as floods of tears rolled down her face. She couldn't work out what had just happened. Well, she could but she wasn't sure she wanted to believe it. Logan was her dad; a surprise to an extent but it was comforting to know that the connection they shared was justified. But Beth being her mom that was totally unexpected.  
  
On the number of occasions she recalled how her 'parents' had reacted to her ability when she had accidentally put David into a coma, was less than she would have expected from natural parents. She had often wondered about her origins when they had unpredictably turned on her causing her to run from them. And even when Charles contacted them about their daughter's whereabouts, they had not cared. They never answered any of her letters or spoke to her on the few times she had phoned them. It was like something out of one of those mafia type films; she had crossed them so they had cast her out in return.  
  
Beth. Rogue could imagine Logan liking Beth; she knew that from the first moment they had encountered her on the front steps of the mansion he was hooked on her. And seemingly, apart from the confrontation, Beth was on him. And in all fairness, Rogue knew it wouldn't be long before Beth reeled him in, whether she wanted to or not. Once there was talk of Beth knowing about Logan's past Rogue could even imagine that something had gone on between them all those years before, seeing the pair married in Beth's memories had really not been much of a shock to her.  
  
But when the memories had turned to a more sinister nature, that of Magneto and his dream to take over the world, Rogue couldn't believe what had transpired. It had also appeared that Beth knew nothing of Rogue herself. Beth had obviously known she'd had a daughter but she evidently never wanted to know anything about her and therefore didn't loved her, giving her up so suddenly after her birth. And why had Beth never made any attempt to find her? Again the only reason she could come up with was that Beth didn't love her, never loved her.  
  
"Rogue, Rogue, darling, please come and open this door. I really think that you should talk to someone. If you don't want to talk to me then you could always talk to Scott or Charles, they are both here with me." Ororo called through the locked door.  
  
Rogue didn't want to talk, didn't want to try and understand what was happening, didn't want to know why her mother had given her up and left her to go through her life with parents that would never give her the kind of love and support a child needed, especially when that child was different. She knew Logan wasn't a part of this and thanked god for that, he hadn't even known that he had a daughter, perhaps there was more to him just leaving, perhaps he just recognized one day that he didn't really love Beth and he needed to get out. But that couldn't be it, after all if it were he wouldn't have hung around her so much over the past few weeks.  
  
"I can't here any moving around or anything in there, the crying has stopped I think . Rogue, please, let somebody in, how about Remy? You two seem close these days, maybe you could talk to him if you don't want to talk to anyone else."  
  
Upon hearing Remy's name mentioned, Rogue shot up out of her reverie. Yes, now there was someone that would help and without asking too many questions. She needed to find out if this was all correct, see if she could find some hard evidence that what she had seen had not been an illusion and who best to aid her.  
  
"Rogue, cher, Remy here to talk, if vous want, bebe." Remy said to the still closed door.  
  
All ears tensed as they thought they heard movement from the other side of the door. It was unlocked and opened, to show a tired, distressed, washed- out young woman standing in the half shadows of her room. "Remy, please come in," she whispered. The very concerned Cajun took hold of the outstretched hand that had been offered to him and walked through the opening before the door was firmly replaced in its hole and re-locked.  
  
"Well, it looks like we have done all we can here. Ororo, would you please keep checking on them though for me, the slightest thing that you feel is wrong call me, okay?"  
  
"Yes, Charles, I'll keep an eye on things here."  
  
"Scott, I suggest you go to your room and wait for Jean, I'm sure she won't be long and she will need your comfort this evening."  
  
"Yeah, sure! Is there something wrong, Professor?"  
  
"I'm not sure, I think Beth is awake now I need to get down to her." Moving the joystick on his wheelchair, Charles was on his way back down to the lab.  
  
***  
  
Charles slapped the chair into forward and continued down the corridor to the lab. He had 'heard' the conversation Beth and Jean had had up to know and he was slightly puzzled as to why Beth insisted on seeing Rogue and had said, "I have to get to her, Jeannie. There is only one thing she could have seen to make her run from me like that." He made his way though the outer room of the lab and stopped just in the doorway of the inner lab. He saw that Jean noticed he was there as she asked "and what's that?"  
  
He saw his niece straighten up in front of Jean, supposedly to look her straight in the face. He then heard her answer. "She's my daughter. Rogue is Logan's and my daughter."  
  
Did he just hear her right, had she just said that Rogue was hers and Logan's daughter? How could that be, he knew that Beth and Logan had had a relationship of some sort but not one that had included a consummation and a baby. He wasn't a prude or anything but he could never envisage the two of them together, people said that opposites attracted and no wonder she wanted to hide that little gem. He watched on as Jean began to comfort Beth again as Beth silently wept into Jean's shoulder.  
  
Moving over to the two women huddled together on the lab floor he positioned himself so that he would be able to see Beth's face as he plucked the story from her. In his most gentle and understanding voice he simply asked "How?"  
  
"What?" Beth asked as she pulled abruptly away from Jean, as if she had been startled in the headlamps of an oncoming vehicle. She looked tired, drawn and very upset.  
  
"How Beth, how, when, why, what, where. And why did you think that you could keep something like that from me? Haven't I always been there for you? Like you have for me?" Charles said, putting out his hand to place on her shoulder, tears in his eyes, he was hurt that she had felt she couldn't tell him her secret.  
  
"I think I should leave you two to this." Jean said as she moved to get up and then remove herself from this latest debacle.  
  
"No, stay. Please, Jeannie?" Beth said, her sad eyes asking for all the support she could get. Jean nodded and helped Beth move to one of the comfortable leather seats positioned near to Logan's bed. Jean took the seat next to her and Charles positioned himself on the other side. "So I suppose I should start from the beginning," two sets of eyes and three sets of ears waited for the story to begin. "As you know uncle, twenty years ago I went to Canada to do some thinking, sort myself out a little. I had never been there, so as I was still quite young and recently out of college, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see a bit of that vast country. I ended up in a place called Red Deer, midway between Calgary and Edmonton. Life was good; I got a small apartment, got a job in a flower shop for a while and met some people I could become friendly with. One of the girls, Kara, I still write too, she still lives there with her husband and two kids. Anyway, I digress, one night we decide to go to this bar out of town. They're holding this cage fight contest and rumours have been going around about this guy who can't be beaten, can't be kept down by his opponents. It's about 10.00 pm when we finally arrive at the bar, one of my girlfriends got us slightly lost. We walk into the bar order some beers and sit down for the next match, and that's when I notice him. Hunched over in the corner was this strapping 6ft 3 man wearing nothing but jeans and boots, smoking on a cigar and waiting for his next challenger. I look over to my friends and notice that they are just enjoying the 'view' however I know that there is more to him than meets the eye. The fight gets underway, the other guy trying to take his chances before the bell even sounds but 'Wolverine', as he was introduced, stands tall and beats the hell out of his adversary. We keep watching until the final fight is over and then we talk about what had transpired, trying to make some sense of the game plan or some such thing, but having the conversation reduced to a level that only twenty year old women understand. Kara, who has always been a bit of a flirt, then decides that she is going to chat-up Wolverine and to see what she make of the guy. Undeniably she was good, but he didn't want to know and although he only then spent another ten minutes at the bar drinking his beer he spent most of that time watching our group."  
  
"On the way back to town, the others managed to prise out of me the fact that I quite liked Wolverine, but I told them I was just being silly and that it was a passing fancy. They were unconvinced but they left it at that. Mind you, three days later, as I'm busy assembling this very expensive bouquet of flowers, Logan walks into the flower shop and shatters my nerves completely. He waits for me to finish, it took me a while my hands were shaking so much, before he starts talking to me, he seems really interested so when, after half an hour, he finally asks me out on a date I say yes."  
  
"From that first date onwards we are inseparable, like two friends that have experienced something so strong between them that they can never bear to let it go. It was a bit of a whirlwind romance, but I knew it was right. We were married six months after we met, and we had the most wonderful loving relationship that two people could ever have. Suffice to say when I then found out I was pregnant I was so happy I believe I might have just burst at the seams. To be loved so totally by the man of my dreams and now I was having our child as well . it was bliss. I arrived home that evening ready to tell him, but he wasn't there. I waited up for him until I was so tired I couldn't stay awake any longer; thinking maybe he was going to be late home, maybe out with the men or something. But when he still hadn't arrived by the following morning I was worried. I called the police, the hospitals, everywhere, but it was like he had vanished." Silent tears were now running down Beth's face.  
  
"So, what happened then, with Rogue?" Charles encouraged, holding onto Beth's hand as if nothing else mattered.  
  
"Well, I carried her to term obviously, but I had a terrible pregnancy. I was so ill to start with, then I had high blood pressure and finally I was in labour for over 40 hours. If I hadn't at least had Kara I don't know what I would have done. Anyway, when Chloe, that's what I called her, well when she was born I felt nothing, I mean I loved her but I couldn't keep her. I am so ashamed of what I did. I had this beautiful little girl but no father to share her with. I just couldn't see her live without the love of two parents, it wasn't fair. And at that point I was still so angry believing Logan had left me it just didn't feel right bringing her up on my own. I loved her so much. I love her, seeing what a striking young woman she has turned into I can see that she wouldn't have grown up like that living with me. All my anger and hatred would have festered and she would feel that too towards Logan. Logan was . is a good man, he wouldn't have deserved the wrath of two women against him. I'm sure she must hate me." This time she sobbed holding onto Charles hand for comfort. "I'm sorry Charles, for not saying anything sooner I just wasn't sure how you would react and I never expected the three of us to find each other, either."  
  
"It's okay, my love. You did what you felt was right at the time. You weren't to know what would happen in the future. And I'm sure Rogue doesn't hate you." He cooed, trying in vain, to make her feel better.  
  
"Does Logan know any of this?" Jean asked suddenly.  
  
Logan pulled his burly frame up, turned and sat on the edge of the gurney, his eyes piercing into Beth's, reaching her soul, as if daggers were attached to each of his hazel spheres. Hurt, sorrow, longing, scorn, even some hate flashed through his eyes as he watched Beth take in all of these emotions. He simply said, "He does now!" 


	16. Someone old, something new, something bo...

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!! Oh and have to mention 'The long and winding road' which is owned by Messer's Lennon & McCartney, Thank you.  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
A/n: Thanks to everyone that has reviewed so far, please don't be shy if you wanna leave a message. BTW thanks to baseballmomok for telling me about my little mistake, I've changed it now,  
  
Chapter 16 - Someone old, something new, something borrowed, someone blue  
  
Ororo Munroe retraced her steps, for the umpteenth time that evening, across the landing to Rogue's room. Every time so far she had been able to hear sounds coming from the other side of Rogue's door, but not this time. 'Perhaps they have fallen asleep,' she thought to herself but something told her to investigate further, she almost always knew instinctively when students were missing from their dorm rooms, let alone teachers. She knocked, feeling it would be better to be polite before she went in with all guns blazing. Nothing, she knocked again, if Rogue and Remy were asleep then they would have noticed after two raps on the wood. Nothing, again. Trying the knob, she turned it slowly to open the door. Stepping into the blackened room she hit the light switch immediately. The void was suddenly awakened and she quickly scanned the room for signs of life. Nothing. Remy and Rogue were not there. She quickly paced around the bedroom and even checked the small walk-in closet and bathroom to see if there was anything that would give her a clue as to where they had gone. Still nothing, but she had noticed that Rogue's rucksack had disappeared from its normal position on her armchair and several hangers had been cleared of their effects.  
  
She ran from the room, not even bothering to return it to its original state, as she made her way down to the lab. No one had ever seen her like this. Ororo the weather queen was always calm and controlled in her every action and word but those that she passed on her journey made way for the suddenly over anxious woman.  
  
On alighting the lift, she continued on to reach the lab and stumble into the inner room just as Logan sat up on his bed and spoke his words of anger, "he does now!"  
  
Ororo lent against the frame of the doorway and tried to catch her breath, Logan's phrase momentarily forgotten as all eye's turned to look at her, questioning her demeanour. Not knowing who to look at first she kept her eyes focused on the clock that hung on the opposite wall. Trying to calm herself from the erratic breathing she managed, "She's . gone ."  
  
"Who has gone, 'Ro?" Scott asked as he went across to help her.  
  
Charles knew exactly, and proceeded to answer for her. "Rogue, she and Remy have gone."  
  
If Logan wasn't angry before, he sure as hell was now. "What! . Where?"  
  
"I don't know, I'll see if Cerebro can help." Charles said, a patient and calming smile tingeing his lips.  
  
"Uncle, you don't have to," now all eyes were on Beth as she continued, "she's gone north, she's gone home." She was diminished of all her strength, both physically and mentally. If anyone wanted to beat her in an argument it wouldn't have taken him or her anything to win. But she had to know, had to see for herself how Logan was reacting to all of the recent past events. She looked up searching the room in front of her for a glimpse of him. It didn't take much as he was stood directly in front of her. She found his eyes, still boring holes into her as if he wanted to hurt her, and found in them the same emotions as before only this time those were being overshadowed by something else. It wasn't love, it wasn't longing, but it was hope.  
  
Logan flinched and looked away, returning his gaze moments later when he found the courage to address the room. "I'm gonna find them and bring them back, and Beth is comin' with me."  
  
"Logan, you can't do this . as doctor to both you and Beth I can't allow this. You have barely been awake an hour and Beth certainly isn't in any fit state to go anywhere." Jean stressed to make her point felt.  
  
"I am aware of this, Jean. Do you really think I would be thinkin' 'bout this if I thought it wasn't necessary. I need you to make sure that Beth is gonna be okay on this trip, make sure we've got plenty of supplies in case she needs somethin' administered to her, etc, etc. We need to find our kid before someone else does, Obviously, I'm gonna' need to fly one of the 'birds' and I need Beth to tell me where I'm going."  
  
"Absolutely not. You cannot take Beth in one of the Blackbird's. It is out of the question. She is too weak at the moment for that Logan; the pressures in the cabin could seriously impede her rejuvenation, not to mention yours. I forbid you to even try."  
  
"Jeannie .!" Logan growled, anger reaching up from his body into his head as he looked at her. She could really be stubborn when she wanted to be.  
  
"I think, Logan, that you and Beth should go and find Rogue and Remy, but I have to agree with Jean; the Blackbird is out of the question. However, I have no problem with you using the PSV, as long as Jean can sort out enough supplies for the both of you to be comfortable and I want you to promise me that if Beth's health starts to weaken, you will take her to the nearest hospital and communicate with me immediately." Charles interceded, knowing full well that Jean would back down once he had made his feelings clear. "Do you agree, Logan?"  
  
"Yeah, I agree." Logan said, mentally shaking Charles by the hand. "Is that gonna be okay for you Jean?"  
  
"Yes, Logan. I believe you to be a man of your word; I don't believe you would ever do anything, knowingly, to harm another member of the team. And as you and Charles are agreed then nothing anyone else will say will matter anyway." Jean answered. She spotted Beth looking at her as if to say 'don't I have a say in this.' She smiled, trying to make it easier for Beth but the anguish written over the other woman's face was too much to bear. Turning back to Logan and Charles she said, "don't you think Beth should be asked what she wants to do?"  
  
Beth, now suddenly uncomfortable with eyes watching, shifted in her seat. Nervously she responded, "I think . maybe . Logan and I should try to find them. As long as I know I'm going to be looked after then there is no reason why I shouldn't go and help out."  
  
"Okay, its settled then . we leave as soon as we're able to."  
  
***  
  
It was 10.00 pm and Logan and Beth had already been on the road for four hours. Logan decided that by about 11.30 pm they should find a room for the night, especially considering he was feeling up to the extended drive a lot better since his healing factor had kicked in.  
  
He fleetingly looked over to Beth in the passenger seat and noticed that she had finally fallen asleep, the pills she had taken to eradicate her headache obviously doing more than they should in her exhausted state.  
  
Contemplating what had happened during the day he sighed heavily. Here he was trying to find his daughter after she had run away, running from finding out whom her true parents were. Not that he was blaming Rogue; he would have done the same. After all, Rogue had believed that her parents were her real parents for twenty years and to now have that idea crushed by one image from Beth's mind.  
  
And what about Beth. She had had to live with the lie that had become her life when he had left her. God he was angry with her, why had she never told him that they had had a child. But then why should she trust a man that had run from her the day she found out she was pregnant.  
  
"Shit," he breathed out, as he realised the vehicle was swerving slightly towards the edge of the highway. "Come on, concentrate."  
  
"You okay?" Beth's concerned face looked over at him.  
  
"Yeah, fine," he spat out, realising that his words were much harsher than he intended them to be. He glanced back across to see the back of her head. He noticed that her body was slightly convulsing as if she were crying. 'Jesus' he thought. Placing his right hand on her left shoulder he began to softly stroke the round curve. "Sorry, I guess I'm just tired, it's been a long day, for both of us."  
  
Beth turned around, and he noticed the tell tale signs, she had been crying. Wanting so badly to pull over and run his thumbs over the glistening tracks, to wipe away the evidence that he had hurt her, he resisted, instead giving her one of his small smiles. She responded by smiling back.  
  
Settling back into her seat Beth shuddered. It was getting a little bit chilly inside the vehicle. "Do you mind if I turn the heat up a bit?"  
  
Logan shook his head and motioned for her to adjust the controls. Feeling warmer Beth sat back and relaxed into the seat. Thinking about the heavy atmosphere between Logan and herself she decided that she should try to lighten the mood. She leant forward again and switched on the radio tuning into some late night confession and request show. She heard him growl at her choice of station but knew that he wouldn't mind it really; they had always listened to these shows together before. "You don't mind do you?" She asked, but got no reply just some derisory look.  
  
The song that she had immediately recognised when she had found the station ended and the presenter moved on to his next caller.  
  
". next caller is Jennifer. Okay Jennifer you're through . what do you wanna share with all our NKGHB listeners."  
  
"I lost my husband eighteen months ago."  
  
"You lost him . are you a widow?"  
  
"Yes, he died of cancer, it was very prolific. Swept through him so quickly no one realised until it was too late. I miss him so much."  
  
"Do you want to dedicate a song to his memory?"  
  
"Yes, but I want to dedicate it to my son as well, he was born five months after John passed away."  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, you must have been heartbroken, and your son do you tell him who his father was."  
  
"Yes, every day. John Jnr has a tape that John recorded before he died. There is a song playing on the backing track of it and that is the one I want playing tonight. Its . I'm sorry it always makes me ."  
  
"Its okay, Jennifer, lets just play it . so here for Jennifer, John and John Jnr ."  
  
The long and winding road, that leads to your door, will never disappear, I've seen that road before, it always leads me here, leads me to your door .  
  
Tears were welling up in Beth's eyes, there were too many similarities, the sense of loss and new life, but Jennifer had carried on bringing up a young child on her own. Beth could now see how selfish she had been and how it must have seemed to Rogue that she didn't care for or love her.  
  
"Why, Beth, why didn't you tell me? When we had that picnic you could have said somethin'."  
  
"Logan, I'm sorry. I was just too angry and scared, and I didn't even know who our baby was at that time. I didn't find out until I met with Magneto . anyway, why did you leave? Things would have been different if you'd stayed behind." Beth said as the tears started to roll down over her cheeks.  
  
Logan pulled the van over, stuck it into neutral and switched off the engine. "I didn't know I had left you," he responded, unclipping his safety belt and leaning over to take Beth in his arms. "I can't believe I left you," he whispered into her hair as he gently stroked her back, waiting for her to stop crying.  
  
When she had she pulled away, realisation streaked across her features, "You didn't know," she said, a statement not a question. "You didn't know you left me, you don't remember how we met, or what our wedding was like, or how the earth stopped when we made love. Logan, please forgive me, I have been the most selfish fool that was ever given the blessing to breathe on this planet."  
  
"There's nothin' to forgive. When I first heard your story this afternoon, I'll admit I was angry. But when I had a chance to think about it, it all made sense. Twenty years ago I left a beautiful, wonderful, very young and very frightened girl to fend for herself. You only did what you thought was best at the time, I realise that now, had I been in your shoes I woulda' done the same. And if I could turn back the clock, I wouldn't hesitate to make you mine again and make damn sure I was with you every step of the way. If anyone needs forgivin' then it should be you forgivin' me."  
  
"I forgave you the second I saw you standing on the steps to the mansion, with not very many clothes on, I hasten to add." Beth said, a grin starting to spread across her face. "Do you have any idea what the sight of you that day did to me?"  
  
"Yeah, I had a vague idea . with my heightened sense of smell an' all!"  
  
"God, I'd forgotten about that," she blushed slightly but then became more bold, "so, what does it tell you now?"  
  
"It tells me that I should kiss you or something!" he was blasé as responded.  
  
"Oh, really," she quipped, which quickly turned to shock as he closed the gap and cautiously laid his lips upon hers. Detecting that Beth was enjoying the moment as much as he was, Logan expertly caressed her, answering her open mouthed invitation with his tongue. As their kiss deepened their hands were searching each other's bodies for the places that would make the other react unreservedly towards their advances, sexual desire rising to the surface.  
  
Logan could feel Beth pulling away and was at once concerned that she may be feeling weaker again. "You okay?" he asked softly.  
  
"I'm fine, as a matter of fact I haven't felt this good in ages thanks to your ability I shouldn't wonder, and I really feel like a newly wed again," she responded, a twinkle firmly set in her eyes. "I'm just not sure that I want to give any other road users a free peep show, if you know what I mean."  
  
"Sure, I think we better find the nearest motel." And with that Logan turned over the engine to the vehicle and headed back up the highway, seeking out their next stop. 


	17. I saw you in my dreams

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 17 - I saw you in my dreams  
  
Black skies hung over the 'Crazy Car Motel', and suddenly the heavens opened and rain poured down. The atmosphere had been filled with the promise of a storm all day, the inevitability of it beginning with the cry of the thunder overhead followed by the power play of lightning, enveloping everything with its sudden ethereal glow, diminishing as quickly. It caught the receptionist off guard as he was awoken by the clatter, but he quickly went back to his television show and drifted back to sleep.  
  
It was a different matter, however, in room 15. Logan, awoken too by the sound of the thunder and the sudden impact of white light on his eyelids, shifted slightly with the weight of a familiar body leaning against him. Smiling to himself he remembered back to their union of body and soul not hours before, the realisation washing over him that he could never leave this woman again. Moving slightly he bowed to rest a kiss on her cheek and checked to see if she was okay; 'The past few weeks must have taken a lot out of her for her to sleep through this storm,' he thought before wrapping his free arm over her body, lying back and waiting for the storm to be over so that he could sleep again.  
  
Beth was too taken by her dream to be aware of what was going on outside. Memories from that evening and from Beth and Logan's joint past were washing over her like waves of ecstasy, it was as if the past twenty years had never happened, as if the two had never parted. The love they shared could never be matched by anyone or anything ever again. He kissed her and it had felt so real, settling into his arms she slept even more peacefully.  
  
***  
  
. Logan was lying, submerged, in the tank as five masked figures milled around outside, one brandishing the biggest syringe he thought he had ever seen in his life. A flash, and they were looking on to their success, toasting him with champagne although he was barely alive. Another flash, and he was out of the tank, he was lying on a gurney as two figures, still masked, moved towards his marked body, all necessary bones and entry points inked onto his skin like a tattoo. He had been sedated but not nearly enough as the first figure pushed the needle into Logan's arm and injected the liquid adamantium, the second figure followed suit and injected into one of his legs .  
  
Beth awoke trying to break free of the restraints that were holding her down.  
  
"Beth, its okay . its me, its only me." Logan said, as he relaxed his hold over her bringing her to a sitting position in front of him and into a hug. She began to cry with relief, realising that it had been Logan holding her down trying to comfort her; tears started to flow down her cheeks and landed on Logan's shoulder. "Shh, darlin'. Whilst your with me nothin' is ever gonna hurt you."  
  
She pulled away from the reassurance of his shoulder and the crook of his neck. Holding each other at arms length she looked over all that she could see of him. He was as he had always been, apart from a few battle scars that had appeared on his torso and limbs, his healing power was good but not that good. She reached for his arm, the one from her nightmare and began tracing her fingers over the area that they had inserted the syringe. "Do you ever remember what they did to you?" she asked, absently.  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Those bastards in Canada, the ones that filled your body with the adamantium."  
  
"Sometimes, I used to get nightmares all the time, but they stopped recently. In fact, they stopped when I moved out of your room, perhaps subconsciously my link to them was through you," he gestured, as he lifted his hand to place a stray lock of her hair behind her ear.  
  
"Me! Yeah maybe. Has Rogue . I mean Marie, has she ever seen what they did to you."  
  
"Yeah, you know I told you 'bout the time I knifed her and she took some of my power, well she collected some of my memories then. Why d'ya ask?"  
  
Beth retraced the wound on his arm again with her fingers before lifting the limb to her mouth and kissing the entry point. Bringing her eyes up to meet his she finally answered, "I think she unknowingly passed some onto me. I've seen them too. That was what I was dreaming about before I woke up. Will, now that I've seen what those supposed scientists did to you I want to kill them."  
  
"You're gonna have to stand in line behind me you know, darlin' . what did you just call me?" He asked, a grin creeping over the corners of his mouth.  
  
Beth looked at him thoroughly confused, "I called you . oh my god . I called you Will didn't I?"  
  
"Yeah, some old boyfriend you wanna tell me about!" A hint of jealously appearing in his eyes.  
  
"No, no old boyfriend," she smiled, her eyes lighting up, "only an old husband. Will is your name. William Michael Logan to be exact, well that's what you said and signed on the day we got married. But you never liked William so you used to get me to call you Will, everyone else had to call you Logan."  
  
"Seems fair," he began laughing, catching her hand as it gently caressed his side burns. "Like 'em do ya'."  
  
"Always have and always will, they give you so much character, befitting your true age," she smirked.  
  
"Well don't know 'bout you, honey, considering your no spring chicken yourself anymore," he said, receiving a swat on the shoulder for his remark, "but this old fella could use another round." He still had hold of the hand Beth had been using to stroke his face; pulling it closer to his lips he gently licked the back of it, intently watching her reaction to his touch. It was good.  
  
Beth visibly sucked in all of the air that she thought she would need in order not to suffocate from the contact of his tongue against her soft flesh. "Your perpetual youth is what keeps me young. Will, I love you."  
  
Logan swelled, he could never remember a greater feeling than the one he was feeling right now. He felt sure he must have felt it before and knew that if he had been around when Beth had found out she was pregnant and had passed the happy news onto him; he would have done so then too. His face shone with the knowledge that Beth loved him, after everything that had happened, after all the years that had passed, Beth loved him, still loved him. "Thank you, Beth. I love you."  
  
Unshed tears glimpsed at the corners of her eyes as she accepted his spoken phrase, knowing that he must truly have meant it in order to say it. If there was anything she remembered about this man, it was that he was decent, honest and never took such expressions lightly. She could tell he had put his heart and soul into conveying his feelings towards her.  
  
The next thing she knew, he was drawing her naked body towards him and gently kissing away the drops in each of her eyes. He placed butterfly kisses over her forehead before moving to her mouth, his touch was warm and tender and after a short while he drew back slightly to see if she was enjoying their moment, it didn't take much to notice that she was. Playfully he bent his head back towards her and used his nose to caress hers, like an Eskimo, before returning to her mouth. This time their kiss was hungry, full of longing and need and it wasn't long before the desire in each of them took over.  
  
***  
  
Finally leaving the comfort of their motel room, Logan and Beth emerged, renewed, to continue on their journey to find their daughter. Who knew what Marie was looking for, but they each had to talk with her and allow her to hate and love as she chose. They had to give her the options and maybe learn to understand what she wanted. At least they knew that if what she did want wasn't them, they had each other. Beth had found her husband and Logan had found some more of his past, now they just hoped they could find Rogue and Remy, before someone else did. 


	18. Rogue finds the truth

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
A/n: Thanks for all the reviews so far, but please keep 'em coming.  
  
Chapter 18 - Rogue finds the truth.  
  
The imposing grey structure of the Red Deer branch of the Alberta bank stood in front of Rogue and Remy as they looked up at the giant letters adorning the façade. Rogue looked at Remy, and he offered his hand to her for support, they would have to be careful if they weren't going to get caught.  
  
"You ready, cher?" Remy asked, fixing his eyes on her hazel orbs.  
  
Never having to lie before, Rogue was very nervous but then again she had no choice. Beth had given her some wonderfully excessive visions, most scenes she couldn't quite fathom but essentially they had involved Beth and Logan's love story and her as a result of that. But what on earth had Magneto have to do with it all, apart from telling Beth who her daughter was exactly. Beth though, had unwittingly given her the opportunity to find out for herself what the truth was and that was why they were now still stood in front of the bank. On leaving the school, Remy had gone to Beth's room and stolen a key along with a few other possessions; the key belonged to a safety deposit box, and Rogue was hoping that all would be revealed when she managed to get past the clerk on the desk.  
  
Remy and Rogue had spent the morning preparing for the visit, and now Rogue looked more aged in order to pass off as her mother, even going as far as dyeing the white streaks in her hair back to her natural colour. Knowing that she should pass on appearance she had sent Remy out to find some kind of voice replicator in order to change her accent. Remy had returned quickly, and now the device was attached to a choker that she now wore around her neck.  
  
Squeezing his hand, she replied "Yeah, just remember I'm Beth not Marie!"  
  
"Course beb, Remy won't let vous down. Anyways, wit' dat accent il knows not Marie."  
  
"Okay, here goes, keep your fingers crossed." Rogue pushed her sunglasses on top of her head, sitting perfectly on the severe French plait that she had tied her hair into earlier on, before making her way through the revolving door to stand in the inner lobby of the bank. Upon reading the department signs she found that the reception for the safety deposit area was positioned towards the rear of the building. She checked her stance and moved towards the desk with an air of confidence. Once she had reached the counter she set her purse on the surface and leaned in towards the clerk.  
  
Extending her hand she breathed, "Elisabeth Braddock, I'm here to check my deposit box." A perfect British accent resonating around the room.  
  
The clerk took her hand and shook it. "Welcome, Ms Braddock, please take a seat, there are a few checks I will need to make before I take you down to the secured area. Firstly do you have ID with you and your key."  
  
"Of course," Rogue answered, as she pulled the requested items out of her purse. The clerk tapped away on the computer finding the Braddock entry, and quickly checked over the ID. "I will also only need a signature as well," the clerk said as he handed the ID back to Rogue.  
  
"Sure, where do I sign?" Great, she had thought right, she had been sure that there were only effects of a personal nature in the box and had decided that they would probably only need to make a few checks on her, an ID and a signature, and they probably wouldn't check them well. She had been practicing her mother's signature throughout the previous evening hoping that what she could write now would pass. Signing the offered document, she passed it back to him and he nodded his acceptance.  
  
"Please follow me, Ms Braddock."  
  
"Thank you. Can I take my son down with me?"  
  
"Sure, that will be no problem what-so-ever."  
  
Rogue motioned for Remy to join her and the two followed the clerk down the steps into a basement area. A labyrinth of corridors extended out around them and Rogue felt sure she would lose her way if she weren't careful. Continuing on their journey the clerk took them to a cell that contained Beth's deposit box. The clerk handed back Beth's key to Rogue and took out a similar key from the inside pocket of his jacket. They placed their keys into the appropriate locks and turned them simultaneously. The door opened and a large dark grey box with a handle was pulled from its dormant position. Again Rogue placed her key into the lock on the box and the catch opened. "I'll leave you to it," the clerk said as he disappeared from view.  
  
"Mais, cher, we are in."  
  
"Yes, Remy, better get this over with." Rogue opened the lid and slid out the contents. Thumbing through pictures and documents quickly Rogue tried to find something that would connect her to the happy couple that were pictured in the first picture she picked up. The picture had been taken of them on their wedding day, Beth dressed in a beautiful antique lace dress and Logan dressed in black, as always, but at least he had made the effort to wear a tuxedo. Taking a seat at the table she turned the picture over and placed it onto the tabletop. She picked up other photos of them together and glanced through them noticing in every one that they were obviously so happy with one another. Again she turned them over and placed them onto the newly formed pile. Opening up a document she found that it was a marriage certificate. She snickered.  
  
Remy turned his eyes towards her from the pile of discarded photos he had been looking at. "What, mon beb?"  
  
"Nothing, just found Logan's name interesting. What you looking at?" she quizzed.  
  
"Just those photo's vous put on da table, face down. Remy tink dey was tres happy together."  
  
"Yes, maybe."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Well I'm just not sure how comfortable I am with that. I mean I'm fine with them knowing one another, and I can even handle the fact they had a relationship together and got married, but I don't really know how I feel about them . me . me being their daughter!"  
  
"Rogue, vous need to see bigga picture. Remy know dis tough, but ."  
  
"Don't presume you can tell me how or what I should be feeling Remy Le Beau," Rogue said, anger boiling up inside of her. "Do you know how this has affected me, I thought I loved Logan not less than four weeks ago, thought he loved me back too, but now he is my father. Do you know what that means; it means I was thinking of having some kind of incestuous relationship with him. That's just sick. I don't even know how I could be so attracted to him, don't people know what their bond is to another instinctively?"  
  
Remy took her in his arms, briefly kissing the exposed skin of her neck. "Shh, cher. Remy know not how this is, but il know vous not sick, vous not know who he was. Don blames vous, Marie. Dare was an attract 'tween vous and Logan, but not attract like vous and Remy, dat's all."  
  
Rogue moved away from him slightly. "I know, I just wish Beth didn't hate me so much."  
  
"What?"  
  
"She must have hated me to get rid of me."  
  
"Vous don know dat."  
  
"No, then what were her reasons. That's what I'm trying to find out why she did it? I've come up with nothing so far though have I?"  
  
"We keep tryin', oui?"  
  
"Oui." Rogue retook her seat and began again to look through the rest of the jumble on the table. There were a few more pictures; she found what she assumed to be Beth and Logan's wedding rings and a birth certificate, the baby's name being Chloe. Passing the items over to Remy so that he could look over them, in case she missed anything, she noticed a pale cream envelope. She picked it up and turned it over, familiar writing sprung out at her and she looked at the postmark. It was smudged, she couldn't quite make out the letters so she proceeded to extract the contents and read the letter. As she opened the pages a few photos fell out, she picked up the first and noticed it was a baby girl dressed in a crocheted robe and bonnet lying in a handmade wooden crib. The next was of a young girl, maybe two or so, sitting in a garden in springtime, playing with some toys. However, it was the third that made her squeal in shock. Remy found his way to her side and looked at the picture she was holding in her hands, everything else forgotten.  
  
"Who is dat?"  
  
"That's me. When I was five, my first bike. I loved that bike, used to ride around in the house just to be on that bike."  
  
Remy picked up the letter, opened the pages and began to skim through the letter to see if he could make any sense of it. He finished it and held it out to her; she was still looking at her younger self. "Tink vous better read."  
  
Rogue took the paper from him and began to read the paragraphs written in her mother's hand. Well, not her mother's but the woman that had looked after her for sixteen years of her life. As she read on she began to get a feel for Beth, understanding falling out from the pages. She set the letter onto the table and took one of Remy's hands. Placing it to her face she lent into his touch. Tears sprung up as she thought about the touching remarks her adoptive mom had made about Beth and that they had wished that she could be a part of Rogue's life. "She love's me Remy, she love's me."  
  
"Course, Cher, non doubt."  
  
"No, there is no doubt ." the real Elisabeth Braddock said as she stood before Marie and Remy, holding onto Logan's hand for dear life, " . I don't think you will ever realise how much I regretted giving you up." 


	19. To have and to hold

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
A/n: Thanks for all the reviews so far, but I need more, more, more!!!!! Sorry not used to begging. All reviews gratefully received.  
  
Chapter 19 - To have and to hold  
  
Rogue, startled by the force in Beth's voice, looked up to see the emotions of love and longing that clouded her face. Getting up from where she sat she closed the distance between them and put her arms around her mother. Beth although shocked at first, let go of Logan's hand and held her daughter, tears rolling down both of their faces.  
  
Beth was the first to speak, "don't ever believe I never loved you, Marie. I always have and always will, whatever happens."  
  
"Ah know now," Rogue responded, "Ah'm sorry ah ran off like that, ah thought you didn't and ah had to find some answers."  
  
"Of course, I wouldn't have expected otherwise, but perhaps you could ask me from now on without the desire to run off and find them for yourself. After all, I am the one who knows the truth."  
  
"Okay, ah'd like that."  
  
"Oh my god!" Logan piped up. The two women pulled away from one another to look over to where he was standing. Beth moved over to him and took the picture he was glaring at and laughed. It was a portrait of Logan on his bike, but he was dressed in some gaudy eighties suit and his hair was a bit longer than it was now.  
  
Beth laughed and Logan growled, fixing his glare upon her, "come on, Logan, you have to agree it is pretty funny. Those lapels and wide pant leg bottoms." She lent across and threaded her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.  
  
"Okay," he admitted, "But I'm only lettin' you laugh at me because I love ya!"  
  
"So the age of chivalry isn't dead," Beth deadpanned. She put the picture back on the table and started to go through all the other things, "Perhaps we should bag these up and take them back to the hotel, we can all have a good laugh there." She fingered the two rings that were left on the table and seemingly slipped away for a few seconds.  
  
Logan noticed Beth's reaction and moved to place his own hand over hers as it sat over the rings on the table. "Perhaps we should put these back on?" He whispered to her. She noticed the yearning in his voice and simply nodded her permission as she took her hand away. He reached for her left hand and brought it to his lips, placing a small kiss on the place where her wedding ring should have been before picking up the smaller of the two rings and carefully replacing it. He replaced his own and pulled her to him, drawing her into a gentle caress. During this time Rogue and Remy had found one another in the room and watched the scene that unfolded before them as they held each other. It was good to see that the love that Rogue's parents had shared so long ago had been revived. Rogue was very happy for them and knew that she would have done anything to get them back together if fate hadn't already taken a hand in that area. The pictures that she had thumbed through earlier only demonstrated the love that they had once shared, and now that they had found one another again that love still shone through. Rogue knew that they were genuinely soul mates. Many people went through their lives settling for what they believed to be the real thing only then realising that they hadn't found it, she wasn't even sure that Remy and her would ever have anything like that, but she knew that Logan and Beth had. Even after everything that had happened and a twenty year span apart they had been brought together again and she was truly glad.  
  
"Ehm," Rogue cleared her throat as she watched the kiss between her mom and dad grow longer and longer. Suddenly realising where they were they broke their contact and looked over to her, Logan resting his cheek against Beth's forehead. "Perhaps we should get outta here now?" Rogue finished.  
  
"Were we making you feel uncomfortable, kid?" Logan asked.  
  
"Not likely, but ah kinda get this feeling that something ain't right!"  
  
"Like what, beb?"  
  
"Like . Ah dunno, but ah don't like it."  
  
Logan and Beth regretfully drew apart and Beth moved towards her daughter taking her by the arm and directing her back towards the entrance, chatting away as they went.  
  
"Remy, a word!" Logan said, as the Cajun made a move to follow the girls.  
  
"Oui, Logan?"  
  
"I trust that you are going to be honourable with my daughter! Considering how she can control her ability she is likely to crave certain desires that most women her age have already had much experience of these days."  
  
"Logan, il never hurt Rogue, il love Rogue."  
  
"I don't doubt that, Remy, but I'm askin' if you intend to be honourable towards her. If I find out that you have done any wrong by her so help me god, I'll ." his anger was getting the better of him and he calmed himself again. "Look all I'm saying is, I was as young as you once, I know the score with a pretty woman but Rogue is ."  
  
"Il know, Rogue is inexperienced sexually." Logan's eyes became hard at this information but Remy continued. "Remy never ask beb to do nothin' elle not want. Rogue have control, not Remy."  
  
"Good," Logan said, "I'm not saying you can't, after all your both consenting adults, I'm just saying be careful."  
  
"Thanks, Logan. Elle safe, Remy only touch when Rogue want."  
  
"Okay, now lets get outta here, this place gives me ."  
  
Screams were heard from the corridor ahead of them as Logan and Remy started their way from the cell they were in. Looking at one another briefly, they sprinted through the corridors to find the source of the shouting that was now taking place. Rounding the corner Logan stopped dead, Remy nearly crashing into him from behind with the abruptness of Logan's action.  
  
Before them stood Magneto and his entourage of Mystique and Sabretooth. Mystique held onto Rogue and Sabretooth held onto Beth. Noticing that four sets of eyes were looking over his shoulder, Magneto turned to seek out what they had all been staring at.  
  
"Ah, Logan, Remy, so good of you both to join us. I was just remarking on the wonderful modification in both of your relationships." Magneto's voice dripping with sarcasm. "So glad to see that you, Logan, and your wife have reconciled. After all, Rogue needed to see what kind of hold Beth had over her intended, but then I find that my old friend Remy has caught her eye. No longer in need of a father figure she has to have someone to . rough with."  
  
The anger in both Logan and Remy made them both shuffle forward, Logan about ready to take Magneto with one of his claws. Magneto however, had other ideas. Using his force he thrust Logan back, forcing Remy with him to crash against the deposit boxes that stood behind them. It winded them both as they fell down to the hard concrete floor.  
  
"I suggest you don't try anything again, Logan, or you, Remy. Your women will feel my wrath if you do." He turned back to the crowd huddled by the stairway, stepping over the clerk that was lying unconscious on the floor he made his way over to Beth and placed his gloved hand to her chin. Pulling her head up to look directly into her eyes. "I've often wondered what anyone would find so interesting in you, apart from your beauty and your magnificent mind, but what did you really have that turned Logan's head all those years ago," he trailed his hand down her throat, over her shoulder and down the inside of her arm leaving it resting on her hip, a wicked gleam set in his eyes as he returned their gaze to hers, "of course, the antics in the bedroom."  
  
Beth was angry, her brows shot up in shock at his last statement and tried to pull away from Sabretooth's hold on her, briefly noticing Logan trying to move but being restrained by Remy. She wanted to slap Magneto across the face but as she couldn't she spat at him. "How dare you, you bastard," she bellowed, "go to hell!"  
  
Wiping the spittle from his face, a sly laugh escaping his lips, "I'll see you in the senate before I see you in hell. Mystique, Sabretooth, take them to the jet, I'll be up in a minute."  
  
The women were taken away as Magneto once again turned to Logan and Remy. "I can see why you like her, Logan, she is spirited; it will make my job a lot easier with that kind of fire."  
  
"What are you going to do with her?" Logan growled.  
  
"Only what she has agreed to, please stay away Logan otherwise I will have to hurt you all, that includes your daughter and Gambit." And with that he found his way up out of the lower lobby, through the bank and into his jet. Remy ran behind at a safe distance to see if they would leave any clues as to where they were going. He found nothing so returned to Logan.  
  
"Logan, vous okay!"  
  
Logan lifted his head to meet the Cajun's eyes. He was sitting in the spot Beth had recently vacated, lent up against the wall cradling the bag with their memories in to his chest. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes, the look of defeat and loss washing over his features as he absently twirled the repositioned wedding band about on his finger. "I've lost her again, Remy, lost Beth and Marie as well, and god alone knows where they've been taken."  
  
"Remy tink's il know where femme gone, Logan. Need to speak to Professor." Helping Logan to his feet they walked from the bank and found their way back to the hotel so that they could correspond with Charles. 


	20. The weapon

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 20 - The Weapon  
  
Remy had spoken to Charles as soon as he and Logan had got back to the hotel and it was suggested that what Remy had heard Magneto say about 'seeing you in the senate' gave them the idea that he was going to threaten the most important force within the United States, the government.  
  
So that was why three hours later the X-men were all on their way to the site that seemed to be the most appropriate choice for Magneto's latest hair-brained scheme.  
  
The two Blackbirds swooped low over Washington and with the aid of Storm's weather creation they were able to land near to the Lincoln Memorial undetected. As silently as possible the crew from each jet ran towards the monument, the face of Lincoln bearing down on them as they made their way up the marble steps.  
  
Wolverine and Cyclops edged around Lincoln's 'chair' and found that there was a doorway in the wall behind; Wolverine pushed the handle down and miraculously the door opened. Cyclops took his usual team and went up, if they could find out where the weapon was they could perhaps disable it. Motioning to Wolverine that they were on the com link, he and his team disappeared around the bend of the staircase.  
  
Wolverine and his crew kept against the wall and went down, the spiral staircase making heads spin as they all continued on their downward path. Wolverine had picked himself up in the few hours it had taken them all to reach this point. After hearing Remy explain his idea to Charles, on where Magneto may be and what the weapon he had devised was capable of, Wolverine had managed to calm his jangled nerves, accepting the fact that he would soon be reunited with Beth and Marie. The only thing that no one could work out was what Magneto had meant by 'only what she has agreed to' referring to Beth and his little scheme.  
  
They rounded the corner and saw Sabretooth milling around in the corridors before them. "Gambit?" Wolverine called.  
  
"Oui, Wolvie!" The younger man replied.  
  
Wolverine looked to him his eyebrows raised at the Cajun's unusual shortening of his codename. Deciding against running him through for his insolence he quickly asked, "See Sabretooth, do you think you could blast him with somethin'?"  
  
"Sure!" He smiled. The red of his eyes began to turn darker as he took playing cards from his jacket pocket to use as his charges. Using his gift he put power to his cards and threw them in the direction of where Sabretooth was standing. The impact of the card on his back caught him unawares and sent him tumbling back into the far wall, winding him before he went down. Wolverine quickly rushed over, popped out his claws and sunk them into Sabretooth's chest. "Maybe this time, you'll stay dead!" He said to the now docile form beneath him.  
  
Turning into another corridor they managed to make out a number of doors that lead to god knew where. "We need to check them all," Wolverine shrugged.  
  
Each member took a door and opened it. Remy's door slid open with a loud thud as it hit the rest. Walking into the dark room he noticed a figure hanging from the wall and quickly rushed to their aid. He took the lighter from his pocket and struck the flint lighting up the face of the body that weighed heavy against him. He gasped, it was Rogue.  
  
"Jubilee, Remy need vous." He called fiercely, the girl promptly arriving by his side when she realised who was cuffed. She charged some of the ions around the locks and they snapped open allowing the full force of Rogue's frame to fall into Remy's awaiting arms. Lifting her with ease he trailed back into the hallway. "Wolverine, Rogue hurt bad, need help."  
  
"Get back to the jet, Gambit. I'll call Jeannie to assist you." Fear and panic now crept into his voice, if that was what they had done to his Marie, what on earth had they done to his Beth. "Jeannie, need you back at the jet, Gambit's found Rogue but she's not very good."  
  
"Okay Logan, I'm on my way," Jeannie called over the com link, "Hey, you okay."  
  
The anger was now spilling over as Wolverine answered, "Yeah, I'm just peachy."  
  
"Be careful Wolverine, we don't need to have you as a casualty as well as Rogue. Over and Out."  
  
He looked around wildly trying to ascertain what had been going on around him whilst he had been talking to Jean. Doors were open everywhere and all of the team members were engaged in locking down rooms before moving onto the next. Making his way over to them as they were forcing their way through the last door, he noticed Jubilee going in first to check out the room. She quickly appeared at the door way again, leaning against the frame, her face drained of all colour as she turned her gaze upon him. "Wolverine, you better get in here."  
  
He hadn't liked the sound of that sentence. He walked to where she stood returning her gaze all of the way across the corridor, before making his way into the room. Nothing could prepare him for what he was about to see.  
  
***  
  
Cyclops and his team carried on the remainder of their journey to the top of the monument, once Jean had left them to attend to Rogue. However, when they reached the summit they found nothing, absolutely nothing, no Mystique, no Sabretooth, no Magneto and no weapon, if they were going to blow up the Senate, they certainly weren't going to do it from here.  
  
"Wolverine?" Cyclops spoke into the link on his wrist.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"There's nothing up here, at all! No villains, no gun, no weapon of any kind, nada, nothing. Are you sure Remy got his facts straight."  
  
"The reason nothing is up there, Cyke, is because it's all down here."  
  
"What? What do you mean it's all down there?" A giggle passing his lips. "Listen Cyke, everything that is gonna be needed to get rid of all 'em politicians is right down here in the basement. Now I hope you ain't gonna fight this but you gotta get off the top of this building got it. You and the rest of the crew should get back to the jets and take off. I'm sending up the rest of the team from here. Don't question this, I just need you to do as I say."  
  
"Wolverine, I'm not going to let you kill yourself over this. I'll send everyone else back to the jet and then I'm coming down to help you ."  
  
"NO!" Wolverine hissed, "just do as I say, please. I should imagine Magneto is probably back in his lair by now with Mystique firmly by his side. If you wanna do anything constructive I suggest you get him there. Over and Out."  
  
"Wolverine?" Cyclops demanded, "LOGAN?" There was just the deathly hiss as he let the button free each time he wanted a response from his colleague, but nothing gave. Wolverine obviously didn't want to be helped. "Lets get back to the jet, we have to go get Magneto."  
  
***  
  
Logan just stood there in the open doorway, standing in exactly the same spot and with exactly the same expression as he had for the last five minutes. He had already sent everybody else topside and now he was there, alone intently looking at the figure that was secured to a frame in the middle of the room. Composing himself he walked the short distance to the frame and reached his hand out to touch the fine skin at the base of her neck. She stirred, the dark raven hair swinging slightly as she brought her head around to the side.  
  
"Beth, what the hell happened here?"  
  
"Logan, I'm going . he's using me to be the weapon."  
  
"What?"  
  
"This all powerful weapon that he has created to wipe out this entire city, well I'm the catalyst. The weapon will use my power to generate enough energy to blow this whole city out of the ground."  
  
"Well, how do we get you out of it." Logan determinedly searched for anyway to remove her from her makeshift casket.  
  
"You can't," she cried, tears beginning to cascade down her cheeks. Logan went to her reaching to wipe the droplets away, and then placing his hands onto her scalp her kneaded her head to try to calm her. "You can't," she repeated, "I'm in here for good, even if you try to get me out this thing will detonate and I'll be killed anyway."  
  
"So, either way I'm gonna lose you?" Logan couldn't believe it, he was damned if he was going to let Magneto do this to him. "I have to try to get you out."  
  
"Logan, please, don't," she pleaded.  
  
"Beth?"  
  
"Just hold me for a minute, then you have to go."  
  
"I'm not going anywhere. I would rather stay here and die with you than never be able to hold you, and kiss you again."  
  
"Will, Marie needs her father."  
  
"And I need my wife." Closing the gap he took her trembling lips with his own and it became the sweetest kiss that he could ever remember giving and receiving. Reluctantly pulling away he moved to her side and took her left hand in his, "for better or for worse, right?" He asked, intently watching for her response.  
  
"Till death us do part!" She answered.  
  
"Cyke, you hear me?"  
  
"Yeah, Wolverine, go ahead."  
  
"Listen, I'm in this room which looks like some kind of conductor and Beth appears to be the catalyst for this weapon, oh, and this frame that she is in is rigged with explosives. Any ideas on how to get her out?"  
  
"Mmm. If that room is some kind of conductor then you have to get her and the frame out of the room."  
  
"No can do, this frame is welded to the floor."  
  
"Okay, if we can't get the elephant to the water, then we have to get the water to the elephant."  
  
"I hope you're going somewhere with this, one eye, else I'm gonna come back and haunt you."  
  
"Logan, how is the wall made up."  
  
"Lots of metal," he said letting go of Beth's hand and walking over to the wall, "tiles, it all tiles."  
  
"Can you get any of them off?"  
  
Unleashing his claws he ripped at the first tile, "Yeah, Cyke, the first just came off."  
  
"Great, get as many off as you can so that you have a good three foot gap around the whole room, it won't stop the effect of it working like a conductor but it will slow it down considerably. My team are gonna go after Magneto, your team are coming back to you, if we can't get it turned of remotely then at least you'll have people with you that can help. I'm sending Jean too."  
  
"Thanks, Cyke. Good luck my friend."  
  
"And to you Logan. Over and Out."  
  
Logan ripped at as many tiles as he could reach, his first effort pulling off the three foot continuous gap around the wall, once that task was completed he pulled the door from its hinges, throwing it out into the hall with the discarded tiles and went about pulling off more tiles. The more tiles that were left on the wall, he figured, meant the more harm it would do to Beth if and when this weapon started up and there was no way he was going to let anything make him lose her again.  
  
***  
  
Magneto was very pleased with himself, the unnaturally suspended ball bearings swinging to and fro before him as he sat as his desk and surveyed the familiar landscape of the parliamentary centre of the United States.  
  
He knew that Xavier's X-men had found Beth but knew that nothing could help her now, he would take her life just as he should have done her daughter's three years previously on top of the Statue of Liberty. Liberty, huh, no one would be able to bestow as much liberty on the people as himself, especially after tonight.  
  
Mystique rushed into his office and stood uncomfortably before him.  
  
"What is it, Mystique?"  
  
"I think they are here, some of them anyway."  
  
"Go, find the others and see what you can do with those pesky X-men. I'll start the ball rolling this end."  
  
Mystique turned and rushed back out, in search of those that would help her rue the day when these X-men would try to take over her and her advocates control.  
  
Magneto pushed himself out of his chair and made his way over to the console that jutted out from the wall behind his desk. Switching on the main power, he then executed the remote switch for the conductor to start rolling. He sat himself back at his desk and smiled, a wicked laugh beginning to escape between the thin lines of his lips. "Better luck next time, Wolverine!" He mused.  
  
***  
  
Unexpectedly the room Logan and Beth were in began to light up. Looking around him he noticed that the frame that Beth was in was starting to rotate. "Beth, I'm going to try and stop this thing from moving."  
  
"Will, you can't, this thing will kill you if you stay in it much longer, its too unstable now that you have taken all those tiles off the wall," she shouted over the din of the cogs.  
  
"I can't just leave you."  
  
"You have to, we have to leave this to fate now. Will, I love you."  
  
"I love you too." Logan screamed out as the frame began to turn faster and faster. The lights in the room were becoming unbearable and Logan only just managed to find his way out before the bright white became blinding. Suddenly a scorching purple light shot out from Beth and up through the roof as if someone had put the machine into overdrive. Logan could only look on, his arm shielding his eyes, as the lilac light enveloped his wife. Tears streamed from his eyes, he could no longer conceive his life without her but he was helpless, he couldn't stop himself from watching and he couldn't stop his wife's impending doom. It was all now down to fate and hopefully, Scott.  
  
***  
  
The team overpowered the beasts that had stood before them; after all they weren't very bright. Scott knew that the greatest challenge would lie ahead, in the guise of Mystique. Seeing Storm to his right he motioned for her to go around from the right, he would approach the opening from the left. He watched as she turned the corner and stooped low behind a rock that extended out from the opening. She doubled back, searching him out and he was ready for her. Coming within range he felt for the switch on his visor and pushed, the rose tinted light shot from his visor and thrust into her abdomen. Her body fell limp as she lay across the floor at the entrance to the cave dwelling of Magneto. Mystique had tried that technique before and had ended up with Logan knifing her. Cyclops was now happy that he could chalk that one up to experience.  
  
Gathering with his team they made the short distance through the halls to meet with the man himself. Although managing to put up a fight Magneto found that he was out numbered but all the time he spent fighting meant they couldn't get to the controls to shut them off. Storm tried a hurricane, but he pushed her to the wall with his desk, taking Iceman, and Shadowcat with her. As they struggled to become free of the large metal table, Cyclops was left alone to stand before Magneto.  
  
They hustled one another for what seemed like ages, lunging and dodging, lunging and dodging. Magneto was very close to his ball bearings now and made the move to pick one up and hurtle it across the room at Cyclops. Readying himself for impact, Cyclops felt for the button on his visor in order to disintegrate the ball before it did. Magneto was too quick and the ball crashed into Cyclops leaving him knocked to the ground. However, Shadowcat had broken free of her surroundings and whilst Magneto toyed with Cyclops she made her move.  
  
Silently she made her way across the room and reached for the power switch. Coming to his senses Magneto ran towards her and pushed her out of the way and was surprised when a shot of ice crept up his arm. This was their chance and they took it, finally bringing him down and turning off the machine.  
  
"Logan? Logan you there, man," Cyclops wearily questioned.  
  
"Yeah? What's happening?"  
  
"We pulled the plug this end, even the detonator on that bomb. Everything okay there?"  
  
"I don't know, can't see to well, the light was too bright ."  
  
"Okay, I'll speak to you soon. Over and out."  
  
***  
  
The room before Logan was silent again. Silent and still. He had just about regained his sight now and it was possible to make out the stand in the middle of the room. Making his way over he stopped dead as he saw a limp lifeless body before him.  
  
"Logan, you in there?" A voice broke through from back down the corridor.  
  
"I'm over here Jean." He shouted back. Hearing the team outside he moved closer to Beth. Her head lay over the edge of the frame, as if her neck had been broken. The soft raven hair was matted from the force that had shaken everything when she had been spinning earlier. Pushing the mass back from her face he could see that her eyes were closed and her mouth was open, drooping down. Remy and Jubilee used their powers to free Beth from the frame Logan had found her strapped into. Taking her weight her helped her to the floor and allowed Jean to make a once over. It didn't look good.  
  
"I'm sorry Logan," Jean said, resting a friendly hand on his shoulder, "she didn't make it."  
  
"NO! No. Beth you have to come back to me, please." His anguished cries echoed out around the building they were in. He couldn't believe this, how could this have happened? "Leave me," he growled, "I want five minutes alone with my wife."  
  
No one argued they just left. He knew what he had to do. Carry her out to the jet when he was ready but he wasn't ready just yet. Sitting with his back to the wall he pulled Beth onto his lap, holding her in his arms, cradling her head and kissing her hair, much as he had done with Marie before. Pulling her left hand to his lips he kissed the finger that held his token of undying love. He twisted his fingers through hers as he gently puller her to him again, tears falling from his eyes down her back until they eventually dried up and he could only feel the shake of his body as he mourned his loss.  
  
It felt like he had been there forever, felt like he had slipped away with her to wherever she had gone, when he suddenly felt the slight tug of her hand being pulled from his. Abruptly he woke up nearly losing the protective hold he had around his wife. It happened again, Beth's fingers trying to pull away from the tight grasp the Logan had on them. Then he heard the faint intake of breath, and ragged outward flow. Pushing her slightly away from him he positioned his free hand against her neck, feeling for anything that felt like a pulse.  
  
"Logan? What are you doing?" Jean had wandered back in to see if Logan needed any help.  
  
"She's breathing, Jeannie." He simply stated laying Beth's body back on the concrete so that Jean could examine her again.  
  
"I don't believe it," she exclaimed, "this shouldn't be happening, Logan. When I checked her over before she definitely wasn't with us, but now ."  
  
"She must still have some of my healing ability, eh?"  
  
"Yes, she must. She is very lucky to have you Logan."  
  
"No, Jean. I am very lucky to have her."  
  
Beth's eyes fluttered open momentarily and Logan was by her side again. "Beth, honey? You okay?"  
  
Her eyes opened again to find Logan's staring straight back at her. "Sure, I've got the mother of all headaches but I'm okay." She sat up slightly feeling better with every moment she was conscious. "What happened?"  
  
"Do you really want to know?"  
  
"Not now. Right now I think I need to get home and have some rest and relaxation."  
  
"Which home?" Logan asked a sly grin appearing, "see, when Magneto took you we had to kind of leave the car up in Canada, we could make the road trip back if you like?"  
  
"I'd love to, Logan."  
  
"Jean is that alright with you?"  
  
"I guess, just make sure she does get plenty of rest, okay!"  
  
"Oh she will," Logan retorted. "How's Marie?"  
  
"She's gonna be fine, and if Remy looks after her the way you've been looking after Beth then there are going to be no problems there."  
  
"Mmm," Beth said, eyeing Logan appreciatively and knowingly, "I hope he doesn't look after her that well, else Logan will be having words with him again. You know doing the whole I'm her father so do as I and her mother say, not do as I and her mother do."  
  
Logan rolled his eyes at her, smiling at her teasing. "You know there's a word for people like you." He teased back.  
  
"Oh yeah?"  
  
"Yeah. Easy." 


	21. Returning Home

Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Please read/review. If you want to post this on your site just ask.  
  
Chapter 21 - Returning home  
  
It had been a long day for Logan and Beth as they pulled the PSV into the school's driveway, they had decided to drive the last four hundred or so miles in one hit, only changing drivers if the other was too tired to continue.  
  
"Home at last," Logan commented dryly. He looked over to Beth and gave her one of his bright smiles.  
  
She responded with a smile herself, groaning, "I think I could sleep for a week."  
  
"I don't think were gonna get much of that in the next few hours." He responded as he fixed his gaze back in front.  
  
"Don't tell me, everyone is waiting for us on the front step." She could have wept.  
  
Taking her hand in his, he kissed it. "Only those that matter, love."  
  
"Come on then," she said as she moved to get out of the vehicle, "the sooner we get this done the sooner we can go to bed."  
  
"Is that an invitation?" He teased.  
  
"Not on this occasion, but it would be good to have you back in my room."  
  
"Your room, why not mine. I happen to like the fact that it is at the far end of the landing up by the orchard, and with all those excited sounds you make when we're . well, you know!" He laughed at his own embarrassment.  
  
"My sounds! What about yours?"  
  
"Okay, so we both get a bit heated, but wouldn't it be better knowing that half the school couldn't hear us?"  
  
"I suppose you're right . your room it is then. Lets get this over with."  
  
No sooner had Beth closed the door behind her than Marie was putting her arms around Beth and hugging her. Beth, at first shocked, took this as a very good sign and hugged back.  
  
"Ah'm so glad your home, both of you," quickly glancing across to Logan as he made his way to the mansion with their bags. "So, Beth, you don't mind if ah still call you Beth do you?" Beth shook her head; she didn't mind at all, she knew things could get weird if they tried to change things too quickly. "Did you both have a good time?"  
  
"Yes, it was great. A good rest is always a good idea. How have things been here whilst we've been away."  
  
"Well, they've been quiet. Ah've been able to concentrate on manipulating my ability better than ah could before, and hopefully now I won't get anyone's images if ah touch them. Uncle Charles and Jean have been great."  
  
Did she just say Uncle? Perhaps things were looking up. "And what about Remy?"  
  
"That's something ah wanted to talk about with you? Ah think ah'm finally ready to try?"  
  
"What, try as in sleep with him?" She was perplexed, with the look on both their faces anyone would have thought they already had tried.  
  
"Well, ah wouldn't have put it quite like that but yeah, sleep with him. We've been pretty close but ah've shied away from it for so long now ah don't know if he is interested in me anymore."  
  
"Did you two have a fight about it?"  
  
"Yes," Marie's face suddenly dropping. "He thinks ah'm a tease, we've kissed and we've touched and we've both . you know!"  
  
"You've both had orgasms?" Beth whispered.  
  
"Yes, exactly that." Marie's eyes wide at the honesty of Beth's question, she certainly wouldn't have been able to talk to her adoptive mum like this.  
  
"May I make a suggestion," Marie nodded her head in agreement. "Take him out to dinner, or make him a meal, something to get the mood going. Find a quiet secluded room away from the main school; go to a motel if you have to, just don't stay here. You're going to need to be able to relax. Make sure you have all you bases covered. Get some wine, lighten the mood further with some romantic music and lighting and make sure you've got condoms handy. Take everything at your pace, Marie, don't let him take the upper hand and if he loves you like I think he does, he will go as slowly or as quickly as you want. Above all though, make sure you have fun."  
  
"Thanks, Beth." Marie smiled.  
  
"My pleasure." She said. She took hold of Beth's arm and steered her towards her waiting uncle. "Marie tells me that her uncle Charles has been looking after her!"  
  
"You know me, Beth, I always treat members of my family with the utmost care and attention . and love."  
  
"Well, you would have had Logan to contend with if you hadn't," she smiled wickedly and noticed Logan turn to meet her eye.  
  
"Exactly," Charles exclaimed. "I do hope you are going to fill me in at some stage. Tell me the truth about you and Logan, from the beginning."  
  
"Of course, but now isn't the time. I really need to catch up on my sleep."  
  
"Then I think you will like my little surprise, walk with me?" Charles asked. 'You too, Logan.'  
  
Beth let go of Marie's arm only to have it taken by Logan as the two stepped out across the lawn, closely following Charles and his chair. Once they were at the middle of the lawn Charles stopped and motioned for Beth to take his hand. "You remember as a child, Beth, that I would not allow you to go near this part of the garden."  
  
"Yes, there was an old gamekeeper's cottage that was practically derelict, right?"  
  
"Right. Well, I had it renovated a number of years ago but was never really sure what to do with it. If I had taken a bride then maybe I would have used it myself, but as it is . I want you to have it, consider it a late wedding present to you both."  
  
"What," tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. "You can't mean that."  
  
"Of course I do. Yours and Logan's stuff is already in there. I'm not sure that everything will be in the places that you want them but I'm sure that in time you will have things just so."  
  
"Thank you, Charles. We were kind of wondering if we would get any privacy being in the main house."  
  
"Well, now you know you have and I couldn't think of any two people that were more worthy of it."  
  
Beth, struggling with her emotions, put her hands to her head and wept. She was so happy. Logan reached for her and pulled her into his arms. He rubbed her back, consoling her and whispering to her. "You know, for someone so pleased you seem to be crying a lot." That comment received a snigger as she looked up at him.  
  
"I can't believe that beautiful cottage is ours."  
  
"No, nor can I." Logan turned to Charles, "thanks, Charles. It is a lovely gift and we gladly accept it." Feeling Beth begin to cry again he pulled her back into his comforting arms.  
  
Charles was impressed. "Not Chuck, or Chas or even Wheels, Logan. You must be slipping in your old age!"  
  
"Nah! Just thought you deserved a bit of respect today. Tomorrow I'll be back on form." His broad feral grin appearing as he winked at Beth. She laughed heartily, she had missed her family terribly over the years, agonised over the fact that she may never her family together but she now knew she was back where she belonged, back with the people she loved the most. Safe and secure.  
  
Charles began to move away from the couple towards the house and stopped again. "Oh, Beth, Logan, nearly forgot to tell you. The ball I was meant to be holding some time ago for Beth's return, well I am holding it this coming Saturday and I would like it to be held in honour of you both, if that is okay."  
  
"Yeah, fine," Beth motioned, "that means I've got four days of sleep ahead of me, thank god." She began to walk towards her new home. "Logan, you coming?"  
  
Logan glanced at Charles and shrugged. "I best go and tuck her in!" Smiling, he turned and ran to catch up with his wife.  
  
Charles could only look on in amazement, shake his head and smile. Who would have known that Logan would have been the perfect man for his Beth? But Charles knew Beth was content with Logan and loved him more than she could ever express, and Charles knew that Logan did too, in return. Turning back towards the mansion he put his chair into forward motion and went on his way. 


	22. A family reunited

A/n: It's been too long and as I have now found new inspiration I thought I'd better finish this off before I started on the new one I have flying around in my head. Thanks to everyone who has been kind enough to review.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Chapter 22 - A family reunited  
  
Friday arrived rather more quickly than anyone had expected and so that everyone was able to get themselves prepared for the following evening Charles declared that they should all have the day off sorting out gowns and tuxedos and anything else they had decided they needed to do.  
  
The morning began much as any other for mid July. The sun blazed, its rays hitting the unsuspecting landscape as it reached higher on its ever winding arc and lit up the greens and reds of the leaves of the trees that Logan was standing beneath. Impatiently he trod the ground as he waited for his daughter to join him, dispersing the dew that clothed the grass under his bare feet.  
  
He stopped abruptly once he noticed Marie skip through the rear doors and make her way over to him. He was nervous and he wanted to get this over with, couldn't wait for the following night to be over with so that he could continue peacefully with his life.  
  
"Dad, you okay? You look like crap." Marie exclaimed watching for any signs of irritation.  
  
"Thanks, Marie! I'm fine, I'll just be happier when all this sneaking around behind your mother's back is over with. I'm so nervous I'm not sleeping too well."  
  
"You never slept well, ah still got the marks to prove that."  
  
"Believe it or not, I've slept a lot better since I've been back with Beth. God that sounds funny . 'back with Beth'. Like I never left her and the last god knows how many years never happened."  
  
"Well, are you sure that's sleep 'cause it may just be exhaustion?" Marie asked knowingly as she saw the sparkle develop in his eye as his face lit up. He turned away from her momentarily as a hint of embarrassment swept his features.  
  
"When did I ever give you permission to be insolent to your father?"  
  
"Never, but ah thought you might let me off the hook seeing as we only just found out 'bout our family connection."  
  
"Okay, but only on this occasion, I ain't gonna make a habit of it! So you know what you gotta do?"  
  
"Yeah, pick mum up 'bout 9.30 then ." she stopped suddenly looking at the expression that had washed over Logan's face. He was grinning from ear to ear. "What?" She asked.  
  
"Do you realise what you just said? You called Beth, mum!"  
  
"Ah did and ah feel good about it," she responded happily, "Beth has been so helpful lately that I guess like ah feel like ah have a family again."  
  
"You always had a family, Marie, just be thankful that we all eventually found one another!"  
  
"Ah am. Now, ah've asked Jeannie and 'Ro to come with us, thought . mum . might appreciate that, and we're gonna go into the city and have the works, manicures, pedicures, leg waxing," Logan winced, "its not that bad, honestly, men! Anyway, ah think mum will enjoy a bit of pampering after what she's been through. So that then leaves you to sort out the minister and the hall and everything else, and don't forget you and the guys need to get your tux's sorted out!"  
  
"Okay, okay, stop nagging; I'll be fine with Scooter's, Chuck's and Remy's help. What time is it now?"  
  
"Its 8.12", Marie said after inspecting her watch.  
  
"Good," he started off toward the cottage and turned back quickly, he looked like he had remembered something else to say. "Better make it 10.00, Marie; I've a little surprise for your mother!"  
  
Marie simply smiled up at her father, rolled her eyes and shook her head before turning and retracing her earlier steps. Logan briefly watched her retreating form smiling to himself before he too turned and made his way back to the cottage.  
  
The smell of freshly brewed coffee pricked at his senses whilst he was still outside; as soon as he reached the kitchen he would pour out two mugs and take them and himself back up to Beth feeling sure that she would still be in bed.  
  
He opened the front door gently and shut it behind just as quietly not wanting to disturb his wife. Pulling off his checked shirt as he walked through the hallway he turned the corner into the kitchen and headed for the coffee machine.  
  
"And just where have you been?" The beautiful tones of Beth's voice filtered into his ears from the other side of the room and washed over his body, she certainly wasn't angry with him but how could his senses not made him aware of her presence there?  
  
"I couldn't sleep," he stated truthfully, if he'd lied she would have known. He could sense her moving across the room, his heightened hearing and smell being able to help him gauge just how far she was away. "Coffee?" He asked, a silent grin washing his lips as he felt her close in on him.  
  
"Not just yet, thank you," she said, placing her hands over his shoulder blades and smoothing her palms over the warm flesh beneath them. His muscles flexed in response and he closed his eyes becoming increasingly aware of the feelings she was evoking within him. "I have a cure for insomnia," she purred as she deftly continued her assault on him, moving her hands down his back around his torso to his stomach and then up his rib cage to his chest, gently stroking over his silky skin seeking out his pleasure points.  
  
He quickly moved on the spot he was stood upon and took her in his arms, lowering his head to possess her mouth with his own. Her hands were on his shoulders again as he traced her outline with his palms, lowering them slowly until they rested for a short time at her waist. He began moving his hands down again as their kiss intensified, allowing them to find the backs of her thighs and with all of his strength, he tenderly picked her up and invited her to wind her legs around his hips.  
  
He broke their kiss and looked deeply into his wife's eyes and upon noticing the desire within the dark brown orbs he knew exactly what action he needed to take. With his arms under her buttocks he paced over to the table that sat in the middle of the room and allowed her sit on the edge. "Here?" He asked of her motioning toward the table with the slight tip of his head.  
  
She merely nodded and slipped the knot open of the belt that had been holding her silk dressing gown closed over her form. The light blue satin of the half slip she wore underneath began to show as she slipped the coat from over her shoulders exposing her soft pale cream skin beneath it.  
  
Logan didn't need much more of an invitation as he picked up the two chairs that were close to hand and threw them out of the way. He quickly removed his jeans and regained his position within her legs as he lent in to kiss her offered throat and down over her breast bone, one hand at the small of her back as the other was in her hair massaging her scalp.  
  
Beth felt Logan tense slightly as she placed her left hand over his manhood, once he had relaxed she continued to seek out the velvet softness as she used both hands to relieve Logan of his shorts, breaking their contact apart momentarily in order that the garment could fall to the floor and allowing him to free himself of them completely. Logan was ever watchful as he noticed Beth wondering at him observing exactly where, or more exactly what her eyes were fixed on. He picked up her hand and placed it over the silky shaft, revelling at her touch. "Do you want this?" He asked softly. She nodded again.  
  
Logan stepped in a little closer and gently stroked his hand up Beth's inner thigh until the tips of his fingers edged up against her stomach. She arched back slightly, placing her free hand behind her in order to brace her gently rocking frame, the infant flames of her passion beginning to stoke higher with every wave of her body. He touched at the top of her mound finding the silky hairs that led the way to her core. Instinctively she opened her legs wider inviting Logan to place a finger over and then softly inside the waiting folds. A sigh of pleasure escaped her lips as his fingers continually probed her moist labia seeking out the nub that would heighten her pleasure further.  
  
Beth's body continued to pitch as ripples of pleasure sought release, her hand still indulging Logan, caressing his erection in time with her own set rhythm. Logan lent his head back and exhaled sharply at Beth's effect upon him, she had him exactly where she wanted him but he wasn't ready yet. Closing his unemployed hand over hers to get her to release him, she recognised from his touch what he wanted and let go. Now having her other hand free, she was able to lean back further as Logan continued to assault her, his fingers dancing over her centre causing her to lurch back and forward at his every touch. He slid his other hand over her body to rest upon her breast seeking the ripened peak, delicately tracing his thumb over the satin covered tip making Beth's senses soar even higher.  
  
Logan was now back in total control and loving every minute of it, watching his beloved reel at every contact he made with her body. He instinctively noticed Beth's impending release as she began to pant, his fingers easily slipping in and out of her as she began her ascent, while whispering his name again and again. Her body shook as she went over the edge and she screamed his name out, the sound that resonated giving him even more pleasure than he thought he could ever handle. For a minute she laid back onto the table until she could muster the energy to sit back up. Seeing her struggle slightly, Logan helped her up to sit brushing his hands over her clammy skin, the action only serving to take himself higher. "I believe you enjoyed that?" He teased, allowing her to only nod as he went in for another kiss.  
  
Logan's hands hungrily took in her frame once again before hooking them under her slip and pushing the fabric up over her body. Beth shivered slightly at the intimacy of his touch against her cool damp skin but allowed him to continue putting her hands in the air so that he could remove the garment from her completely and dispatch it along with everything else that cluttered the floor.  
  
Logan pushed her backward to get her to lie on top of the table and quickly climbed up to meet her, again tracing his hands down to her nipples in order to bring them back to life. His removed his mouth from hers and continued on a downward path between her breasts and then around her left bosom until his tongue found the tip. He circled it and suckled causing her to moan again while he gently tugged, twisted and fondled at the other with his right hand. Not wishing to leave the other out he transferred his mouth to the right peak and assaulted the left with his other hand, noticing Beth surge with her intensifying passion again.  
  
Logan felt downward with his right hand feeling for the signs that Beth was indeed ready for him and once he found she was, he positioned himself over her in anticipation of their union. She gave him the enticement that he required and edged his tip to her awaiting womanhood, feeling the succulent warmth around him as he entered her. They kissed each other over and over as they fell into their own tempo, their hips dancing at their delight of the other, Beth accepting Logan's deeper and deeper strokes as they both began to breathe heavily.  
  
Logan could hear his wife whispering his name again as he felt her contracting and in turn dilating around him bringing him closer to his own goal. He kept kissing her mouth, her ear lobes, her throat, her jaw line all the while pressing his fingers into her back as she did the same to him, raking her nails lightly over his shoulders to increase his desire and allowing them to find their way into his hair as she kissed at his forehead. She snaked her legs around him as they climbed higher and higher together, each matching the other with every movement.  
  
Logan could now sense that he was close to committing himself and hoped that Beth would come too, that thought making him loose himself to her and spill his seed, his body arching as he came. "Oh my god, Beth!" He called out, holding onto her as he finalised his task and no sooner had he than he felt the tell tale signs of Beth's own orgasm as he sustained his movements to stoke it.  
  
Beth, in turn, held onto her lover as she cried out, "Will!" Her satisfaction scrambling her brain for just a moment before she floated back down to earth. Bringing her hands back to his head he brought it up to glance at her, a wide smile raking over his features, "I love you!" he mouthed, the release and exhaustion preventing him from making a sound and causing him to replace his head from where it had rested before.  
  
"I love you," she said, "Logan?"  
  
"Mmm?" He breathed contentedly against her chest.  
  
"You do realise that we may have conceived!" She watched him bring his head back up to look directly into her eyes, "after all we didn't use any protection. Would you mind if I did?" She asked hesitantly  
  
He found his voice again, "It would make me very happy if you fell pregnant again, but this time I'll be around for good." He propped himself up on an elbow as he watched her face brighten even more. He traced his finger lazily around her belly button never stopping to gaze into her beautiful eyes that clouded slightly as she beamed. "So do you wanna try again, we still have plenty of time before Marie arrives to take you out for the day."  
  
"I should get washed up!"  
  
"We can always make love in the bath," he growled as he got up from the hard wooden surface bringing her with him, their coupling only breaking when they stepped down to the floor, "in fact," he started as he made for the door, "last one there gets to go on top!"  
  
"Now that idea I like," Beth said to herself and quickly followed Logan up to the bathroom for another round.  
  
***  
  
At precisely 10.00 Marie arrived at the front door of her parent's cottage and knocked loudly. She knew that if she didn't then Beth would never hear and probably stay safely tucked up in bed with Logan all day.  
  
As she had suspected, her knock hadn't been met with an answer and she moved over to one of the bench seats that occupied a length of the veranda. She would wait a few more minutes before trying again and if she still wasn't greeted she would walk in on them, parents or no parents. After all, if they wanted to act like two teenagers on heat then she could certainly treat them like that.  
  
Just as she was about to get up and try again the familiar figure of Logan presented himself at a now open doorway, clothed in only a towel and a skimpy one at that. "Hey!" He smiled sheepishly shrugging his shoulders at her. "It was the only thing that hadn't got too wet!"  
  
Marie walked past him through the open doorway shaking her head slightly but amused. "Don't go any further, ah don't wanna know what you and mum are getting' up to." She made her way down the hallway, the smell of coffee enticing her into the kitchen; at least she could have a cup of the refreshing liquid quite innocently whilst she waited for Beth. Rounding the corner into the room she noticed the array of furniture and clothing that now settled over the floor. Trying to avoid all she could she said, "Ah guess you couldn't wait to get to the bedroom, huh?"  
  
Logan shuffled in behind her, picking up one of the discarded chairs as he went, slightly embarrassed by the scene that lay before him. "No, guess not! Your mother sneaked up on me so I had to give her what for, didn't I?" An ever increasing smug smile reaching across his face as he thought about the earlier events that had transpired.  
  
Marie raised her brows, as she intently watched her father's face light up. Grabbing a cup and pouring herself some of the coffee she said, "how long is mum gonna be?"  
  
"Shouldn't be long, darlin'." He responded brightly, "in fact I'll just go check!" He turned to go but stopped when Marie spoke up.  
  
"Dad?"  
  
"Mmm?"  
  
"Ah don't wanna hear any repeats of any earlier performances, thanks!" She added sarcastically. "The first sounds ah hear that are not of mum walking down those stairs ah'm outta here and you'll have to sort everything out for yourself!"  
  
Logan smiled at her before turning once more and running up the stairs to his wife. Marie heard the low tones of two people talking and then footfalls resounded against the carpet as she saw her mum walk down the stairs; a now fully clothed Logan following her.  
  
Marie made for the front door and stepped out onto the porch. She looked on as Logan drew Beth into his arms for one final kiss before they parted for the day. A warm sensation flew threw her as she smiled at the scene, she was extremely glad about everything that had transpired and was happy that Logan had found the woman that he truly loved, his soul mate. There were no two people on the planet that seemed to fit so well together as Logan and Beth, and Marie found herself thinking that she was glad she was a part of this family she only wished that they had been together from the very beginning.  
  
"What's wrong?" Beth asked Marie, as she walked toward her daughter her right hand still firmly set in Logan's hold.  
  
"Nothing, ah'm fine!" Marie responded. Beth gave her a knowing look and finally Marie relented. "Okay, okay, it's just seeing the two of you there together being extremely happy got me to thinking!"  
  
"'Bout!" Logan asked.  
  
"'Bout what it would've been like growing up with you two around me all the time. Being in a family that loved me for who ah am and seeing and feeling the love you two share for each other. Ah'm sorry, ah'm being stupid!" Tears formed at the corners of her eyes and she bent her head down trying to hide them.  
  
Beth moved over to her daughter and placed her arms around her. Kissing the top of Marie's head she said, "It's not stupid Marie, you don't know how many nights I lay awake thinking about just that, and how many days I couldn't concentrate on my work because of just that. And now I have you both back in my life there is no way I'm going to let either one of you go." She drew out of their mother-daughter embrace and looked into her eyes, "And be rest assured, Marie, that even though you think we're acting like a couple of kids at the moment," Marie smirked at the remark and noticed Logan's eyebrows peak up, "we'll always love you as much as we love each other, if not more. After all, if wasn't for our love for one another you wouldn't be here."  
  
"Thanks . mum!" Marie watched the clearly overjoyed expression that washed over Beth's features as she realised what Marie had said. They drew into an embrace again and were then joined by Logan who placed an arm around each one of them, a true family hug.  
  
"Mmm, mmm." All eyes turned to the culprit. Ororo and Jean stood at the bottom step of the veranda watching the huddle before them.  
  
"When neither of you showed after half an hour, 'Ro and I thought maybe we better find you, thought something may have happened to you both."  
  
"Something did happen," Beth mused cheerfully, "a family became reunited." 


	23. The ball and the blessing

A/n: I would just like to thanks again to everyone that has reviewed so far, please keep 'em coming.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything or anyone . unfortunately!!!  
  
Synopsis: The past catches up with the X-men  
  
Chapter 23 - The ball and the blessing  
  
The afternoon sun shone through the half open blinds of cottage's master bedroom. The ethereal light of the golden globe illuminating everything in the room with a warm but pale shroud including the intertwined bodies of both Logan and Beth.  
  
Logan had already been awake for ten minutes and hadn't the heart to wake his wife. She lay peacefully within his arms, her chin lying against his chest and he watched as her head bobbed along with the breathing motion of his torso.  
  
He chuckled to himself, remembering all that they had done to one another after her return from the city. Her elegantly coiffured hair now lay tangled and she had complained about chipping a nail but none of it mattered to him, he could never imagine her looking more beautiful than she did when she was natural. To him, she was as striking with her hair down or tied back, with little or no make up and wearing her grey x-men issue sweats than she had been when she had walked through the door the previous evening. 'But then, that's because I love her,' he thought.  
  
Beth stirred and began to wake. Logan could feel her eyelashes flickering against his chest as she began to open her eyes and soon she was sat up in front of him, her bare breasts wobbling slightly with her sudden movements. Knowing that her husband was watching her she turned to look at him "Morning, my love!" She said as she crossed her legs in front of her and stretched her arms over her head in cat like motion.  
  
"I think you'll find its afternoon!" He said amused.  
  
Beth groaned, it couldn't be. "Oh god . no! I've got so much to do before tonight and its . no,' she looked at the alarm clock, "not 5.30! Marie will be here in fifteen minutes."  
  
Logan started to laugh as he watched Beth's face grow more panic stricken with every more joyous sound he made.  
  
Getting up from the bed Beth made her way to the bathroom scowling at Logan as she went. She picked up his pile of dishevelled clothes and hurled them at him. "Instead of laughing you could make yourself useful," she cried, "I need to make myself stunning for you and you're not helping by sitting there laughing at me."  
  
Logan followed her into their bathroom stepping into his boxers as he went. "Beth," he tried putting his arms around her now satin covered body, "you don't need to make yourself stunning for me. There is nothing that you could do that would make you more beautiful to me, I love you even with your tangled her and messed up lipstick and eye shadow!"  
  
"Thanks," she replied a little more brightly, "I think. It's just nice to know I can still attract you after all these years."  
  
"Well, perhaps it helps that I don't remember past years." Logan let out a whimper as Beth pelted his arm, he continued smiling down at her and using his left index finger to push the bangs out of her eyes, "seriously though, even if I could remember and we had been together for all those years I know that I wouldn't rather be anywhere else than in your arms as we fall asleep. I've never known such peace, Beth, than when we're together. You complete me!"  
  
Silent tears slid over Beth's cheeks at Logan's words. She felt him gently wipe them away with his thumbs before placing his lips over hers and kissing her with a soft smouldering kiss. As they pulled back she smiled up at him and he answered her with his own.  
  
Eventually she found her voice, "I think you'd better go before I can't resist you any longer and take you back to bed!"  
  
"Would that be a bad thing?" His voice rasped, husky with anticipation.  
  
"As we're the guests of honour I think it would be a bit selfish if we didn't turn up, don't you?"  
  
"You have a point, my love. However, I hope this means the invitation is still open for when this bash is over with?"  
  
Reaching up she answered him with her own tantalizing kiss, using her tongue to trace his open lips and tenderly biting and sucking on the lower one before pulling away from him again. Desire shone through both of their expressions as Logan reluctantly pulled away. "Until later then!" And with that he turned out of the bathroom, retracing his earlier steps to retrieve his clothes, putting them on and finally blowing Beth a kiss before he left the house.  
  
***  
  
Marie knocked on the door and momentarily Beth shouted down for her to let herself in, closely followed by the now present 'Ro and Jeannie. Beth called from them to go up and found her in the bedroom in a total panic.  
  
"Hon, what's wrong?" 'Ro asked.  
  
"Look at me, my hair's a disaster and I chipped a nail last night." Beth wailed.  
  
"Was Logan a bit rough last night," 'Ro returned mockingly, Jeannie sniggered while Marie rolled her eyes at the unfurling scene. Did all women talk about sex like this?  
  
"No!" Beth assured. "He, surprisingly, was a perfect gentleman last night; I got myself into this mess."  
  
"I don't think I'd better ask!" 'Ro motioned for Beth to sit on the stool in front of the dressing table. Obediently Beth sat as instructed as 'Ro gave her the once over. "It's okay, not as bad as I'm sure you think it is. I'll sort your hair out, Jeannie can look at your nails and Marie can sort out your make up."  
  
The worry lines disappeared as Beth began to smile. Thinking back to the first moments back at the school Beth had reckoned on only being able to stay there for a short while, knowing that it would have been difficult for her to be so close to the one person she thought she would never have again. But now she was glad. Glad that she had made the journey in the first place, glad that she'd got Logan back, glad that she'd found Marie and glad that she had so many good friends. "Thank you, all of you! I don't think you realise how much this all means to me."  
  
"We know how much this means to Charles having you here, at last and to the rest of us really," Jeannie answered.  
  
"We all missed you, you know!" 'Ro said as she squeezed her friend's shoulder. Upon releasing it she began to tackle some of the more stubborn knots in Beth's hair.  
  
"And ah'm happy ah had the chance to finally meet my mother, even though at first ah thought she was competition. Ah'm sorry, mum!"  
  
"Don't be," Beth smiled as she took Marie's hands in her own. "I'm glad I have my family back together, if I hadn't been so selfish ."  
  
"Mum, its okay, really, if ah'd been in the same situation ah probably would've done the same as you. Ah love you, that's all that matters."  
  
"Drawing Marie into a hug Beth replied, "and I love you!"  
  
"Mmm mmm, when you two have finally finished!"  
  
Marie and Beth drew apart smiling, "Ah think we better get on, Dad's gonna wanna see some kinda transformation."  
  
Beth sniggered recalling Logan's earlier words. Smiling to herself she readied herself for the onslaught that was about to take place and sat back, enjoying the pampering that was to come.  
  
***  
  
"Logan, will you stop fidgeting, you're making me feel nervous!"  
  
"I can't help it, Cyke. This suit is bothering the hell out of me and it's not like Beth to be late."  
  
"You never heard it be lucky for femme to arrive late will be lucky!" Remy said as he glanced over to Logan.  
  
"Yeah, but we're already married if you hadn't noticed, I don't think it counts a second time, mind you she was late then!"  
  
Remy, Scott and Charles all turned their eyes to Logan. Noticing the stares he looked on confused. "What?" He asked angrily.  
  
"Logan, are you remembering your past? Do you realise what you just said?" Charles asked.  
  
Logan thought for a moment, had he remembered something? Could he recall the event of his marriage to Beth, after all he had recalled her being late. "I'm not sure, but I know someone who," he stopped his sentence short as he noticed the girls walking through the large double doors to the solarium and waited in anticipation for the only face he wanted to see. His heart leapt to his mouth and his breathing became erratic, anyone would have thought from his reaction that he was actually going to be wed today, but then in a way he was. He began to walk toward the entrance and received compliments from 'Ro, Jean and Marie as he passed them all in turn, but he didn't acknowledge them and never heard a word they spoke.  
  
He treaded halfway when he was met by her gaze. He had been wrong; the Beth that stood in front of him now was the most beautiful Beth he had ever seen in his life. Her hair had been expertly swept back from her face and pinned into a French plait with a few strands being left around her face to soften the total effect. Her nails had been repainted with a perlescent varnish making it seem like she opals on the tips of her fingers. A light covering of lilacs and pinks had been applied to her eyelids and cheeks, her lips covered with a shimmering rose pink tint. She smiled at him as she noticed his ecstatic look upon her but he didn't notice, he never even noticed that he had stopped walking and now she was moving toward him. He took in her form as it swayed continuing on its journey to him, covered by the palest lilac silk he thought he had ever seen. It made her look so delicate, not like the human weapon that she actually was, the fit accenting the curve of her breast, waist and hip.  
  
Finally they met in the middle of the room noticing nothing around them but observing everything about each other. Logan tried to speak but found that his mouth had gone dry. Beth pressed her left index finger to his mouth and slowly circled her arms around his neck. He followed suit placing his arms around her waist and they began to sway slowly to the music that had entered their thoughts.  
  
"Do you like?" Beth asked.  
  
"Very much!" The only words Logan could find to speak, his mind still reeling from the initial sight of her.  
  
"Good! Because I was going to have to kill 'Ro, Jean and Marie, if you didn't!"  
  
"As I said before," now finding his voice, "I love you no matter what you look like; I was just a bit surprised when you walked into the room though. There's only one time I remember you ever looking as beautiful as you do tonight."  
  
Intrigued Beth had to ask, "Oh, and when was that?"  
  
"Were you late to our wedding?"  
  
"Yes, the traffic was hell . wait, you remember that!"  
  
He nodded his head, "I remember you were about twenty minutes late and I'd started to panic thinking you weren't gonna turn up and then the next thing I knew you were there walking down the make shift aisle in that registry office, you in that lovely antique lace wedding dress you got from that second hand place on main street and me in that rented tux that I wasn't really comfortable in."  
  
Beth smiled; delighted that Logan could remember some of their respective past. "Do you remember anything else?"  
  
"I seem to recall the wedding night, we were both very animated!"  
  
Beth looked down as a hint of embarrassment touched her cheeks. "I think that was the night I fell pregnant with Marie!"  
  
"Then maybe tonight will be the night you fall pregnant with Logan junior!" He mused, "that's if you'll have me again?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Logan stopped moving and turned toward the area that he, Scott, Remy and Charles had set up the day before. "That," he motioned toward the seats and the man standing at the end of what seemed to be an aisle. "I thought perhaps, we could have our marriage blessed, if you wanted to and when I asked Charles he thought it would be great idea to have it tonight. If you don't want to then I'll understand."  
  
Beth looked on to the scene before her, so many emotions skating over her features as she thought about it. "Try and stop me!" She finally said. "I think it's a wonderful idea, Will, just like marrying you all over again. I can't wait!"  
  
Logan was extremely happy by Beth's reaction and he thought that if she continued to make him this happy he would burst. Holding his arm out for her she took it. "Well, in that case my love, let's get blessed." And with that they made their way up the aisle through the activity of each member of the household taking a seat and moved to meet the waiting minister.  
  
Fin 


End file.
